After talks with Australia to co-host, Indonesia changed its position, boosting Saudi Arabia’s bid for the 2034 World Cup

Erick Thohir, the head of Indonesian football, stated on Wednesday that his federation now supports Saudi Arabia, one week after it was revealed that conversations regarding seeking to co-host the 2034 World Cup with Australia had taken place.

Hours before an online meeting of the Asian Football Confederation, whose 47 members include Australia, Indonesia, and Saudi Arabia, Thohir’s revised plans were described in a statement on the website of the Indonesian Football Federation.

Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA, asked the AFC participants to “be united for the 2034 World Cup.”

Infantino has long been a staunch supporter of Saudi football and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s government, thus FIFA’s unexpected move two weeks ago to expedite the men’s tournament bid process was seen favorably by both parties.

Following FIFA’s acceptance of a single 2030 co-host proposal combining Europe, Africa, and South America among six countries, the organization declared this month that only members of the AFC and Oceania’s football body—New Zealand and scattered Pacific islands—can submit bids for the competition.

FIFA gives Asian and Oceanian federations till October 31 to express interest and only one more month to complete a comprehensive bidding agreement with government backing.

Soon as FIFA began the competition on October 4, Saudi Arabia nearly quickly announced their intention. Within minutes, Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa of Bahrain, a member of the royal family, said that the AFC was unified in supporting the Saudis.

There was not the Asian unity Sheikh Salman had proposed, according to rumors of an Australia-Indonesia proposal that may also include Malaysia and Singapore.

Australia is on its own if it wants to submit a 2034 bid to follow up on its successful co-hosting of the 2023 Women’s World Cup with New Zealand due to Indonesia’s statement on Wednesday.

“The world is already enough divided. In a video message sent to AFC members on Wednesday from Zurich, Infantino stated, “We have opportunities to transmit messages of togetherness.

At a gathering of football authorities earlier this month in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Infantino reminded them of his message: “to be united in Asia, to be united for the 2034 World Cup.”

At separate gatherings of its 211 member federations, FIFA hopes to announce the 2030 and 2034 World Cup hosts late next year.

The unanimous decision for 2030 is the European-led bid, which includes Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Argentina, Paraguay, and host Uruguay from the first event in 1930. The South Americans will only get one game each from the 104-game schedule, but since FIFA wants to alternate hosting between continents, this eliminates their football body from the 2034 picture.

The inaugural 48-team, 104-game edition will be hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico in 2026, marking CONCACAF’s turn.

The next time Asia hosts after 2034, according to Thohir, an Indonesian government official with strong links to Infantino, Indonesia wants to host. That may occur in 2046.

Following its removal from the Under-20 World Cup in March due to the Muslim-majority country’s refusal to host the matches of Israel, who had qualified, Indonesia will host the FIFA Men’s Under-17 World Cup beginning in the following month.

The 32-team Club World Cup for FIFA in 2029 has drawn attention from the Australian Football Federation as well.

The last FIFA Club World Cup with seven teams will be held in Saudi Arabia in December. In June 2025, the club championship returns to the United States as a four-yearly, 32-team competition.