Australia has officially withdrawn its bid to host the 2034 men's FIFA World Cup, opening the door for Saudi Arabia to emerge as the favourite to host the tournament.
The decision by Football Australia came on the October 31 deadline, following strong support from the Asian Football Confederation for Saudi Arabia's bid, which is now considered the top contender to host the event.
"We have explored the opportunity to bid to host the FIFA World Cup and -- having taken all factors into consideration -- we reached the conclusion not to do so for the 2034 competition," Football Australia said in a statement.
FIFA has extended an invitation for bids from the Asia and Oceania regions to host the rotating World Cup, following the announcement of Morocco, Spain and Portugal as joint hosts for the 2030 edition.
While there were discussions regarding a joint bid from Indonesia and Australia for the 2034 World Cup, Indonesia recently declared its support for Saudi Arabia's bid.
Saudi Arabia's aspiration to host the 2034 World Cup represents the latest step in its pursuit of becoming a global sports powerhouse, building on the success of neighboring Qatar, which hosted the first World Cup in the Middle East in the previous year.
Australia has shifted its focus towards hosting the Women's Asian Cup in 2026 and the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup.
"Achieving this -- following the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023 and with the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games -- would represent a truly golden decade for Australian football," Football Australia said.
Australia and New Zealand co-hosted the Women's World Cup this year, and the tournament was widely considered a successful event.
(With AFP inputs)
