Fireworks light up Riyadh sky as Saudis celebrate successful World Cup bid. Sparklers and drones carrying the golden World Cup trophy blasted through the air over the capital of Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after Fifa confirmed the Gulf kingdom would host the 2034 edition.
Not surprising as the only candidate was Saudi Arabia last year, but on the formal announcement officials organised celebratory ceremonies to celebrate the successful bid.
In Riyadh, Saudis paraded in their new sporting splendour.
“Welcoming the World 2034” was written in Arabic on the side of one tower and, on the bustling Tahliah Street lamp posts in the city, the green, sword-bedecked Saudi flag floated.
‘I used to always wanted to go to the World Cup but logistics were always a hurdle. The dream is now realized because the World Cup is held in Saudi Arabia,” the 44-year-old civil servant Abdulrahman al-Shehri told AFP.
“I will go to the stadium to see the majority of the games. “The tournament is local now. “As recently as a couple of years ago, that would be considered far-fetched, Khaled al-Azza, 35, told me.
These days, however, “there is nothing impossible for Saudis”, he said.
Sports also form a central part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 reform programme to diversify the economy of the world’s biggest crude oil exporter.
Prince Mohammed “highlighted the Kingdom’s great will to actively participate in developing the sport of football in the world, as well as transmitting messages of love, peace and tolerance,” the official Saudi Press Agency said Wednesday.
“Seating the Fifa World Cup 2034 will give a unique chance to express the ongoing development of the Kingdom,” the agency added.
Sports Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal on the state-owned Al-Ekhbariya channel announced Saudi Arabia was “opening up to the world” and could open football to a global audience.
“Through Fifa and all member associations, we would like to be part of this experience, to have new spaces to grow and new people in new ways”, he added.
With a campaign entitled “Growing. Together.” Saudi Arabia in July 2024 officially filed its bid book for the 2034 Fifa World Cup as a roadmap to the event.
The bidding book announced the Kingdom’s desire to stage the World Cup in five stadiums – Riyadh, Jeddah, Al Khobar, Abha and NEOM – and 15 state-of-the-art venues.
One of them will be the new King Salman International Stadium in Riyadh where the first game and final will take place and which will also be home to the Saudi National Football Team.
Ten Fifa Fan Festival locations are announced — one of them, more than 100,000 sqm in size, would be located in King Salman Park in Riyadh and another on the Jeddah Waterfront.
The small-scale tournament model will make for an unforgettable experience for players, fans and officials, as well as top-notch facilities and accommodation at all price points – all with relatively short travel times through well-developed transport networks.
Average travel time to and from the five host cities is under two hours and visitors to the Kingdom will also experience a hassle-free process of immigration.
Audiences will also be able to visit some of the Kingdom’s eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites, enjoy beautiful architecture, mouthwatering food, a thriving art scene, concert venues and ‘hafawah’ – friendly Saudi hospitality.
But hosting an event as monumental as the Fifa World Cup comes with some issues.
Ziad bin Nahit, 48, told me he figured it would be even harder than it is in nearby Qatar, the 2022 World Cup host.
Saudis stood up, he said.
‘We are not only talking about the World Cup. We are talking about organising Expo 2030. We’re talking about bringing other world sports championships,” he said.
‘It’s a pride thing.