FIFA Considers Postponing the 2034 World Cup.. Will the Tournament Witness a Historic Precedent?

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The International Federation is taking several factors into account before setting the date of the edition to be hosted by Saudi Arabia.

The 2034 World Cup in Saudi Arabia could see an unprecedented change to its scheduling. Press reports have revealed that FIFA is studying the possibility of pushing the tournament back to the start of 2035, thanks to a clash with the month of Ramadan and a number of other international events.

Organisers had expected the tournament to run through November and December, mirroring the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, to sidestep the searing summer temperatures in Saudi Arabia. But that window now overlaps with Ramadan, and FIFA face a fresh headache.

Ramadan in 2034 is expected to fall between 12 November and 12 December, the very period that had been earmarked for the World Cup.

According to the British newspaper "Mirror", published today, Wednesday, staging the tournament during Ramadan would create significant organisational challenges. Fans flocking to Saudi Arabia, players and technical staff fasting through daylight hours, altered working patterns and daily life across the Kingdom during the holy month all complicate the picture.

The start of 2034 offers no easy way out either. Holding the tournament in January and February would clash with the Winter Olympic Games scheduled for the American city of Salt Lake City.

Summer looks equally unworkable given the heat in Saudi Arabia, where July temperatures climb between 40 and 45 degrees Celsius. Organising matches in those conditions would be extremely difficult.

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The "Mirror" noted that the challenge would grow should FIFA decide to expand the World Cup to 64 teams. More teams means more weeks, and a suitable date becomes even harder to pin down.

Against that backdrop, January and February 2035 stands out as the most realistic solution. It would allow the competitions to finish before the Hajj season, expected to begin in the middle of February that year, and would also avoid the end-of-year holiday celebrations.

Adopting this scenario would push the World Cup off its usual four-year cycle for the first time, even if only by a matter of weeks. The move recalls the postponement of the 2020 European Nations Cup to 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino, for his part, confirmed the governing body is still weighing up every option on the tournament schedule, and stressed the need for flexibility.

Infantino said: "We discuss this matter constantly, and it is not about one World Cup only, but about a comprehensive vision for the football calendar."

He added: "The best month to play football is June, but it is not used much in Europe. Perhaps there are ways to improve the match schedule, and we are still discussing all possibilities, and we must keep our minds open until we reach the appropriate decision."