A new Football World Cup in the middle of winter? It's possible. As for Qatar in 2022, the organization of the 2034 World Cup, promised to Saudi Arabia, should once again take place in a special period. The evaluation report on the Saudi candidacy published by Fifa gives several avenues. Explanations.
If Qatar had organized its World Cup in November and December, the Saudi edition will (normally) be a little different. On December 11, FIFA will award Saudi Arabia the organization of its first Football World Cup. As soon as this choice is validated, the International Federation will enter into a new puzzle, with the objective of keeping this 2034 World Cup in the competition calendar. At the moment, the body has not yet published the international calendar after 2030. Unsurprisingly, all sources close to the matter confirm to RMC Sport that this 2034 World Cup will indeed take place in winter.
Summer is already out of the picture
Last week, FIFA sent the media its evaluation report on the Saudi candidacy. In this 112-page document, the body chaired by Gianni Infantino reviews and notes the entire application down to the smallest detail. In the “organization period” category, the Kingdom obtains the “medium” risk level, in other words a small yellow dot. Nothing alarming, a negotiation will open between all the parties concerned by the subject and this situation should be resolved in the coming months.
Several interlocutors see only one possibility for this World Cup: organizing it in January 2034. “With the intense heat, like in Qatar, you have to cut football at least from May to September,” notes a person close to the matter. By deciphering the analysis of Fifa experts, summer is already out of the picture even with air-conditioned stadiums like in Qatar. The period of November, equivalent to that of the 2022 World Cup, will depend on religious events that year, and in particular the period of Ramadan. The month of December, with the Christmas period and the New Year celebrations, is not advantageous for the body.
“Regarding the period of the competition, the candidate has committed to working closely with Fifa to develop a calendar taking into account the different sporting, cultural and religious events organized in the proposed cities in order to avoid overlaps. Between June and August, the average temperature in the proposed cities is around 35°C, with the exception of Abha, where the climate is milder. From December to February, temperatures are between 15°C and 26°C. depending on the cities,” explains the FIFA document.
Riyadh will host the Asian Games in 2034
In addition to the temperature, several events must also be taken into account for the organization of this competition. “It is also worth noting that Riyadh will host the Asian Games in 2034, one of the largest multi-disciplinary sporting events in the world. In both cases, the candidate has confirmed its commitment to collaborate with Fifa and all relevant stakeholders (e.g. the Olympic Council of Asia) to ensure that all events can coexist,” explains the file consulted by RMC Sport.
Before adding: “In addition, it would be wise to take into account religious events like Ramadan (the annual period of fasting and prayer in the Muslim religion), the annual hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, which sees more than 1 .5 million people from all over the world converge on Saudi Arabia, but also the traditional holidays of late December/early January, with Christmas and New Year. The candidate also mentions the 'Saudi Seasons', a series of cultural events , sports and leisure which attract millions of spectators in several cities of the kingdom throughout the year.
Fifa has already shown with the 2022 World Cup that it is possible to organize a competition in the middle of winter, with a competitive level. In the coming years, we will especially have to convince the players' union, particularly on the overload of calendars. The document nevertheless notes that “the choice of an optimal period for the organization of the competition is not without presenting some challenges”. Response in the coming months.
