Saudi Arabia is considering a joint bid with Qatar and the United Arab Emirates to host the Rugby World Cup in 2035 or 2039. This potential collaboration reflects the Kingdom’s growing interest in diversifying its sports offerings, especially as it prepares to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup.
The Saudi Arabian sports landscape is big, the country is home to 97 different sports federations. This breadth creates challenges, as all of the world’s sports events cannot be physically accommodated given logistical and infrastructural constraints. Nonetheless, the country is focused on trying to find success in all sports — particularly thirsty rugby.
Growing Interest in Rugby
While Saudi Arabia is not currently recognized as a major player in the rugby world, its officials are optimistic about the future. The Kingdom’s Sports Minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, has expressed openness to the possibility of bidding for the Rugby World Cup. He emphasized the importance of publicizing even niche sports to get diverse people engaged at a young age.
“Maybe. But we’ll see how it goes towards that, and if it makes sense to host these events.” – Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal
Beyond rugby, Saudi Arabia has invested heavily in other sports like boxing and golf. The tiny nation, with big dreams, has already hosted three world title fights — a testament to the booming popularity of the sport amongst its people. Likewise, golf, both among the locals and with international players looking to join the boom, has seen a swell in interest.
Cricket’s Potential
The Kingdom further recognizes the promise of cricket, propelled in part by the country’s massive foreign worker demographic from Asia. These workers have increased participation and popularity of the sport, developing a strong grassroots base with many avenues for diving.
Emphasizing the need to cater to these communities, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Sports Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal said.
“I think in the cricket league we have around 35,000 players already, 90 per cent of them are not Saudi, but we want to accommodate that because they live here, we want to provide for them.” – Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal
This commitment to inclusivity reflects Saudi Arabia’s broader goal of promoting sports among all residents, regardless of their origin or the sport’s popularity.
Upcoming Events and Future Aspirations
Rugby and cricket ambitions
Saudi Arabia has lofty goals in both sports. It’s preparing to host the 2029 Asian Winter Games, further demonstrating its athletic capacity as a dual-sport host. The country is looking towards the exciting 2034 soccer World Cup. This shocking development comes despite the fact that she’s ranked as low as 113th in the world in soccer.
The investment we’ve seen in the nation’s infrastructure development leading up to those events bodes well for future international competitions. Qais Al Dhalai emphasized that “the stadiums are ready there. It will be the most successful event in the history of rugby.”
Leave a Reply