The 2034 World Cup, which is set to be hosted by Saudi Arabia, could be brought forward as far as 10 months, which would see huge shake up in the Premier League calendar, according to reports.
As the sole candidate to host the competition, Saudi Arabia are expected to be awarded the rights to host football’s greatest competition in a decade’s time, with the announcement expected next week.
FIFA’s 211 member nations will meet to make official the hosts for both the 2030 and 2034 competitions at a congress, though with no competitor it is exceedingly unlikely Saudi Arabia will not be named the host nation for the latter competition.
Meanwhile, 2030 is expected to see as many as six host nations, with Spain, Portugal and Morocco seeing the vast majority of games, while the first three will be played in Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay.
However, given the sweltering summer heat in Saudi Arabia, it is very likely that football fans will be looking at another winter tournament much like for Qatar 2022, though it is still slated for a summer start.
Two years ago the World Cup kicked off in November, with European football halted for just over a month, however this time around a January start date is reportedly being discussed so as to avoid a clash with Ramadan.
Saudi Arabia is set to be named the 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 brings a risk to player and fan welfare due to the sweltering heats
Ramadan – a month of fasting, reflection, community and faith as part of what is considered one of the most holy periods observed by Muslims all over the world – will be fall between 11 November – 10 December in 2034, thereby ruling out a World Cup similar to that of Qatar.
The only other options would be during the summer – when the 40-degree heats would be a danger to players and fans alike – or at the very start of the year, with a delayed winter break being put in place.
According to reports, a kick-off in early January is therefore being discussed, unless there is an unlikely agreement from the Saudi authorities allowing non-observance of this extremely holy festival.
With the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah set for a start date of February 10, it is unlikely that the World Cup could start later than early January in order to fit around this.
Moreover, even if organisers wanted to punctuate the European run-in with a competition in March and April, this would cause massive disruption to the existing calendar.
Fixtures at the end of the campaign such as the Champions League final, FA Cup final and crucial run-in fixtures in leagues across Europe would need to be pushed back which could see the season end in the middle of summer, rather than late May.
The World Cup is set to last 38 days, given the expansion from the upcoming edition in USA, Canada and Mexico to welcome 48 teams, up from 32.
FIFA’s evaluation report claims the Saudi Arabian bid is: ‘Factoring in a number of considerations ranging from climatic conditions to the schedule of football and other sporting and cultural events locally and globally’.
The 2030 and 2034 World Cup hosts are set to be made official at FIFA’s congress next week
Temperatures in the Saudi Arabian summer regularly exceed 40 degrees between May and September
‘Temperatures in Saudi Arabia are at their mildest between October and April,’ says the report and that between May and September ‘peak daytime temperatures can exceed 40 degrees at the hottest times of the day in Riyadh’.
‘Any decision regarding the timing of the competition would take these matters into consideration when seeking to provide optimal conditions for teams and spectators,’ the report adds.
‘Furthermore, it would be important to consider religious events in determining the timeline for the competition.
‘Ramadan, the annual Muslim period of fasting and prayer, and the yearly Hajj pilgrimage, when more than 1.5million pilgrims travel to Saudi Arabia from around the world, would have to be taken into account, as would the Christmas to New Year period in late December and early January.’