The 2034 World Cup, to be hosted by Saudi Arabia, could be brought forward by up to 10 months, which would be a major shake-up to the Premier League calendar, according to reports.
As the sole candidate to host the competition, Saudi Arabia is expected to win the rights to host football’s biggest competition within a decade, with the announcement expected next week.
FIFA’s 211 member countries will meet to make official the hosts of the 2030 and 2034 competitions at a congress, although without any competitors it is extremely unlikely that Saudi Arabia will not be named host nation for the latter competition.
Meanwhile, by 2030 it is expected that there will be up to six host countries: Spain, Portugal and Morocco will host the vast majority of matches, while the top three will be played in Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay.
However, given the sweltering summer heat in Saudi Arabia, football fans will likely be on the lookout for another winter tournament much like Qatar 2022, although it is still scheduled to begin in the summer.
Two years ago, the World Cup started in November and European football stopped for just over a month; however, this time the start date is January. supposedly being discussed to avoid a clash with Ramadan.
Saudi Arabia will be named host of the 2034 World Cup at next week’s FIFA congress (pictured: FIFA President Gianni Infantino)
Football in Saudi Arabia during the summer months poses a risk to the well-being of players and fans due to the stifling heat.
Ramadan, a month of fasting, reflection, community and faith as part of what is considered one of the holiest periods observed by Muslims around the world, will fall between November 11 and December 10, 2034, ruling out so a World Cup. similar to that of Qatar.
The only other options would be during the summer, when 40-degree temperatures would be a danger to both players and fans, or at the beginning of the year, with a delayed winter break.
According to reportsTherefore, an early January start is being discussed, unless there is an unlikely agreement by the Saudi authorities that allows this extremely sacred holiday to be missed.
With the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, scheduled for February 10, it is unlikely that the World Cup can begin later than early January to accommodate this date.
Furthermore, even if the organizers wanted to punctuate the European meeting with a competition in March and April, this would cause a massive disruption to the existing calendar.
End-of-campaign matches such as the Champions League final, FA Cup final and decider matches in leagues across Europe would have to be postponed, potentially causing the season to end in mid-summer. , instead of the end of May.
The World Cup will last 38 days, given the expansion of the next edition in the United States, Canada and Mexico to host 48 teams, compared to 32.
The FIFA evaluation report states that Saudi Arabia’s bid: “Takes into account a number of considerations ranging from climatic conditions to the calendar of football and other sporting and cultural events at local and global level.”
The venues for the 2030 and 2034 World Cups will be made official at the FIFA congress next week.
Temperatures in the Saudi summer usually exceed 40 degrees between May and September
“Temperatures in Saudi Arabia are mildest between October and April,” the report says, and between May and September “maximum daytime temperatures can exceed 40 degrees at the hottest times of the day in Riyadh.”
“Any decision on the competition calendar would take these issues into account when trying to offer optimal conditions for the teams and spectators,” the report added.
‘In addition, it would be important to take religious events into account when determining the competition schedule.
‘Ramadan, the annual Muslim period of fasting and prayer, and the annual Hajj pilgrimage, when more than 1.5 million pilgrims travel to Saudi Arabia from around the world, would have to be taken into account, as would the Christmas period at New Year in late December and early January.