Saudi Arabia’s path to hosting the 2034 FIFA World Cup is clear after its main competitor, Australia, decided not to bid for the event. FIFA president Gianni Infantino appeared to confirm Saudi Arabia’s hosting status in an Instagram post on Tuesday afternoon.

Australia’s exit made Saudi Arabia the sole bidder for 2034, with Tuesday marking the deadline for any other countries from the Asian and Oceania Football Confederations to submit formal bids. FIFA had previously said the 2034 host would be officially appointed in a separate FIFA Congress, with the next meeting set for May 2024. 

Football Australia said it’s turning its attention toward bids to host the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup and 2029 FIFA Club World Cup. 

Saudi Arabia has been seen as the favorite to land the 2034 World Cup since FIFA announced an expedited timeline for bidding earlier this month. A joint Australian bid with Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore was floated as a possible challenger but ultimately never materialized.

Due to Saudi Arabia’s extreme heat, the 2034 tournament will likely be the second-ever winter World Cup, following Qatar 2022’s move from the traditional summer timeslot. The sporting event will also put another global spotlight on Saudi Arabia’s human rights issues.

The World Cup bid continues a strong recent sports push from Saudi Arabia. Beyond its other investments in Formula 1, LIV Golf, and professional soccer, the country’s Public Investment Fund also created a new sports-focused investment entity, SRJ Sports Investments.

Bucking A Trend

A sole host for the 2034 World Cup will break from the new normal of multiple nations collaborating on major soccer tournaments.

The 2026 World Cup, 2028 Euro, 2030 World Cup, and 2032 Euro will all be played across multiple countries. Additionally, the 2027 Women’s World Cup could be jointly contested in the U.S. and Mexico, following the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

Amid the accelerating collapse of the regional sports network business and Diamond Sports Group’s ongoing bankruptcy proceedings, MLB is ready to step up on behalf of its clubs in unprecedented fashion.

After taking over the production and distribution of the San Diego Padres’ and Arizona Diamondbacks’ broadcasts in 2023, commissioner Rob Manfred said the league could assume a similar role for as many as 16 teams next year.

Besides the Padres and Diamondbacks, that would include 12 other clubs that have been served by DSG, plus the Pittsburgh Pirates and Colorado Rockies. The latter duo’s games were previously aired on networks owned by Warner Bros. Discovery but now face uncertain futures of their own as that company exits the RSN business.

“We have an unserved audience out there that is an economic opportunity for us to reach fans that we’re not reaching,” Manfred said. “It doesn’t have today the same robust economics that the cable funded provided, but … we’re going to put it with that digital option that gives people more flexibility, more reach, and [is] better for fans overall.”

Manfred’s comments follow the league’s recent filings with a U.S. bankruptcy court in Texas looking for immediate answers on DSG’s plans for next year.

“We need to know who they want to continue to broadcast and who they don’t want to continue to broadcast so that we can make plans in order to deliver games to our fans,” Manfred said. “Until we have a feel for that, it’s very difficult to give the teams a realistic view of what the economics are going to be.”

DSG Dilemma

DSG continues to have its own issues that make it difficult to answer MLB’s questions. The company’s embattled reorganization efforts are facing additional challenges from its creditors, distributors, pro teams in other sports, and even its own parent company, Sinclair Inc.

Earlier this month, DirecTV offered another grim assessment of DSG’s progress.

“Despite more than seven months in Chapter 11, the debtors seem to have failed to shore up both the supply (team rights) and revenues (distribution) sides of their business,” the satellite carrier told the bankruptcy court.

Transition continues to hit the ownership ranks of the Premier League.

As Florida-based 777 Partners continues its acquisition efforts for Everton and Jim Ratcliffe extends his pursuit of part of Manchester United, an equity stake in West Ham United is now hitting the market.

Vanessa Gold, daughter of former West Ham United joint-chair David Gold, said on Tuesday that she would consider selling a “proportion” of her family’s shares to the “right partner.” The elder Gold, who died in January, passed his 25.1% stake in the club to his daughter on behalf of a family trust. Multinational financial advisory firm Rothschild & Co. has been appointed to aid the process.

“Any transaction to purchase some of our shares will be with my father’s legacy at the forefront of my mind which, of course, prioritizes his beloved West Ham United,” Vanessa Gold said.

David Gold first purchased shares in West Ham United in 1991 and rose to the joint-chair role in 2010.

Any deal is expected to happen at a premium at the roughly $790 million value placed on West Ham United in 2021, when Czech billionaire Daniel Křetínský purchased a 27% stake. More recently, Forbes valued the club at $1.079 billion. In June, the club won its first major trophy in 43 years, capturing the UEFA Europa Conference League title. 

Club chairman David Sullivan remains in control of West Ham United and is its largest shareholder, holding nearly 39% of the shares.

In addition to the separate moves with Everton and Manchester United, Liverpool recently sold a minority stake to Dynasty Equity, and Chelsea raised $500 million in funding from Ares Management.