FIFA Faces 2035 Shift for Saudi’s 64-Team World Cup as Ramadan and Hajj Squeeze 2034
Updated
Updated · POLITICO · Jul 20
FIFA Faces 2035 Shift for Saudi’s 64-Team World Cup as Ramadan and Hajj Squeeze 2034
2 articles · Updated · POLITICO · Jul 20
Summary
A Saudi-hosted World Cup in 2034 is increasingly hard to stage in 2034 at all, with early 2035 emerging as a plausible fallback despite no public FIFA signal.
Ramadan is expected to run roughly Nov. 12-Dec. 12 in 2034, blocking the late-year winter window used for Qatar 2022, while Hajj around early March and summer heat further narrow options.
January and February would also clash with Salt Lake City’s Winter Olympics, leaving only a six- to seven-week slot between New Year’s and mid-February to fit 15 proposed stadiums and possibly 64 teams.
That prospect is already reviving European resentment over another winter World Cup interrupting club seasons and adding to wider scrutiny of Saudi Arabia over human rights and its hosting selection.
The scheduling crunch underscores a broader FIFA problem: a lunar Islamic calendar and rising heat could make future World Cups increasingly difficult to keep in their traditional June-July slot.