Ten FIFA World Cup Matches In India? AIFF Mulls Co-Hosting 2034 Edition Of Football Mega Event Along With Saudi Arabia

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) is reportedly considering a proposal to host several games of the 2034 FIFA World Cup, which is scheduled to take place in Saudi Arabia.

Last month, after the October 31 deadline, it was confirmed by FIFA, the international governing body for football, that Saudi Arabia was the only country to bid for the 2034 World Cup.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) convened an Emergency Congress on 18 October, during which Saudi Arabia's bid received support from member countries. The move was also backed by India.

Kalyan Chaubey, the president of AIFF, has reportedly told the executive committee members that India should think of hosting a few matches of the 2034 World Cup.

The 2034 World Cup, featuring 48 teams, is set to host 104 matches. It's being considered that around 10 of these matches could be held in India.

The draft minutes from the AIFF Executive Committee meeting on 9 November revealed that the president informed the house that "India should think or plan to work towards being a co-host for the World Cup in 2034", PTI reported.

The decision to limit the hosting rights for the 2034 World Cup to Asia or Oceania was made by FIFA, following their announcement to hold the 2030 edition across three continents: Africa, Europe, and South America.

Saudi Arabia is also hosting the AFC Asian Cup in 2027 after India backed out of a bid to host the continental showpiece.