In the marble white offices of Riyadh’s opulent royal palaces, the only man with a worry in the world in recent weeks had been Sir Keir Starmer. The Prime Minister flew in to meet the crown prince on Monday,

FIFA named the hosts for the 2030 and 2034 World Cups on Wednesday with Spain, Portugal and Morocco getting the former edition and Saudi Arabia controversially landing the latter. There is minimal surprise at the outcome given that the two decisions have been considered a foregone conclusion since there was only one single candidate for each event.

Saudi Arabia will be ratified as hosts of the 2034 FIFA World Cup on December 11 and there is already concern about the decision.

Saudi Arabia has been named host of the men’s 2034 World Cup tournament, soccer’s biggest event and the most watched global sporting competition.

Cristiano Ronaldo led the celebrations after Portugal and five other countries were officially announced as hosts of the 2030 men's World Cup, with the player saying the unique tournament will be the "most special" yet.

The 2030 tournament will be the first FIFA World Cup played in six different counties, with Spain, Portugal and Morocco as the main hosts.

The news has gone down well in Portugal with Ronaldo who is clearly thrilled at the news. The Al-Nassr superstar is being tipped to play at World Cup 2026, eve