Saudi Arabia Is On Its Way To The FIFA Council

The 2022 FIFA World Cup was held in Qatar and it is safe to say that it shocked many people. Some people were taken aback by the principles and policies implemented by the host country while others were pleasantly surprised by the cleanliness, architecture, and culture that they were introduced to while visiting for the tournament. The Qatar FIFA World Cup also changed a few things such as holding the event in the latter half of the year, mainly due to the weather and banning alcohol in the stadium, it may have resulted in the state facing some backlash but it paved for other countries to make their way into the FIFA world just like Saudi Arabia that has officially gotten a seat on FIFA’s ruling council that is being developed in order to confirm the host for the next FIFA World Cup that is set to take place in 2027.

 

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The Elections

Elections took place at the Asian Football Confederation’s annual meeting for the ruling council and Suadi Arabia managed to bag a seat thanks to its growing influence on global football. Many would be shocked to know that Cristiano Ronaldo, a famous footballer, has moved to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabi to participate in the national league and it is also speculated to be a likely bid put forth by Saudi Arabia to host the World Cup that will take place in 2030 or 2034. Yasser Almisehal, the Saudi Soccer Federation president, was one of the six selected Asian Soccer officials to be the representatives in FIFA’s decision-making council throughout 2027. Saudi Arabia has now officially become the host of the Asian championship.

 

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Winning the Seat

Qatar federation president Sheikh Hamad Al Thani was elected for a FIFA position for the first time, Qatar is also set to host the Asian Cup next year. The elections proved that Saudi Arabia and Qatar have become football hotspots in Asia. Fans in middle eastern countries rejoiced to discover this news as football will officially become a big part of their countries.

FIFA Council Positions were also received by Kohzo Tahsima who hails from Japan, and Mariano Araneta from the Philippines and these two happen to retain their seats while the newcomers like Hamidin Bin Mohd Amin, the Malaysian Football federation leader, joined. The losing candidates are Du Zhaocai from China and Chung Mong-Gyu of South Korea who is also the scion of the family that owns Hyundai.

 

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Not A Stranger

However, it is necessary to note that Saudi Arabia is not new to the world of football, in fact, the state has claimed multiple championships especially the Asian Cup of 1984, 1988, and 1996 but it has never had to opportunity to host the event till today. FIFA is looking to let 200 members of the federation select the host for the 2030 World Cup in 2024. Could Saudi Arabia make the final cut?

 Which country would you like to host the next FIFA World Cup?