Soccer In The MENA Region Is Re-Shaping The World Cup

BusinessSportsMoneySoccer In The MENA Region Is Re-Shaping The World CupBySimon Chadwick ,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Professor of AfroEurasian Sport, geopolitical of sport specialist.Follow AuthorJun 08, 2026, 09:32am EDTZURICH, SWITZERLAND - DECEMBER 11: FIFA President Gianni Infantino announces Saudi Arabia as the host of the FIFA World Cup 2034 during the Extraordinary FIFA Congress 2024 at the Home of FIFA on December 11, 2024 in Zurich, Switzerland. (Photo by Harold Cunningham - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)FIFA via Getty ImagesWhen the World Cup was last held in the U.S., in 1994, the tournament was bookended by two European-hosted editions of the mega event – Italy in 1990 and France in 1998.Since then, the world has changed, and we are in the midst of a pivot from the Global North to the Global South, which has given rise to new centres of power, directly affecting sport in general and the World Cup in particular.FIFA’s showcase tournament has consequently travelled beyond its traditional European and South American heartlands since 1994, reaching Japan and South Korea in 2002 and South Africa in 2010.The last World Cup, though, seems to have set a trend that has made the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region a prominent and influential player in the global football industry.A tournament hosting destinationIn 2022, for the first time in the tournament’s history, the World Cup was held in the MENA region – Qatar –a controversial hosting choice when its successful bid was announced in 2010.The next staging of the men’s showcase event in 2030 is intended to be a celebration of its 100th anniversary, with games to be played in several countries. Morocco is one of the main co-hosts - alongside Portugal and Spain - and is likely to stage upwards of thirty matches.Saudi Arabia will then host in 2034, having won the right to stage the tournament at an uncontested vote in December 2024.MORE FOR YOUFIFA’s overa...