Technical Director of Saudi Arabia Women’s Soccer team, Monika Staab, has expressed hopes of hosting the 2035 Women’s World Cup. “I know they (Saudi Arabia) want to host the men’s World Cup – why not host the Women’s World Cup in 2035?” said Monika Staab at the Leaders Week Conference on Thursday, October 19.
“I believe it’s a bright future. In 10 years time, I told them it takes time to go to the World Cup. 2035 (sic), I know they want to host the men’s World Cup, why not host the Women’s World Cup in 2035? They’re going to have the AFC competition, hosting in 2026. So, we’re now getting a team ready to be at least competing at that level. And of course, the leap is something which is important that we develop our national players in Saudi Arabia,” she said.
FIFA, the international governing body of association football, has invited bids from Asia and Oceania for the 2034 men’s World Cup, setting a deadline of October 31. Saudi Arabia earlier this month announced it would bid and received backing from the Asian Football Confederation in its congress on Wednesday, October 18.
“Led by the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF), the bid for 2034 intends to deliver a world-class tournament and will draw inspiration from Saudi Arabia’s ongoing social and economic transformation and the country’s deep-rooted passion for football,” Saudi FA had said in a statement.
Saudi Arabia’s inaugural FIFA World Cup bid is backed by the country’s growing experience of hosting world-class football events and its ongoing plans to welcome fans across the world to the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup and 2027 AFC Asian Cup.
FIFA has named Morocco, Spain and Portugal as hosts of the 2030 World Cup, with Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay hosting the opening matches to mark the tournament’s centenary.
The 2026 World Cup, which will feature 48 teams, will be hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
(Inputs from Reuters)