FIFA President Gianni Infantino has declared the FIFA World Cup 2034™ a monumental opportunity for Saudi Arabia, urging global investors to embrace football’s vast economic and social potential.
Speaking at the Saudi-U.S. Investment Forum 2025 in Riyadh, Mr Infantino highlighted football’s unmatched global influence and transformative capacity.
“The opportunities are huge,” Infantino said. “Football is a game followed by five billion people around the world. We need to find a way to connect these five billion people because that’s what they are watching: a World Cup, 104 games in one month — 104 Super Bowls in one month.”
The 2034 edition will be the first 48-team tournament held in a single country, showcasing not only Saudi Arabia’s football ambition but also its cultural transformation.
Infantino emphasized the power of football to transcend borders and divisions.
“Five billion people who have nothing else in common: they speak different languages, they have different religions, they have different genders, social level, but they have this one thing in common… the love for football.”
In financial terms, the FIFA President described football as an untapped goldmine.
“The global football GDP in one year today is around USD 270 billion, of which about 70% is produced in Europe,” he noted.
“If the rest of the world, in particular Saudi Arabia or the United States of America, would do just 20% of what Europe does in soccer, we could reach over half a trillion or more of GDP impact.”
Infantino also spotlighted women’s football, announcing FIFA’s target of USD 1 billion revenue for the FIFA Women’s World Cup in the near future.
“Women’s football and women in football are crucially important,” he said. “It’s growing exponentially… and we are targeting that as well to reinvest in the women’s game.”
With the FIFA Women’s World Cup set to expand to 48 teams from 2031, and Saudi Arabia already making strides with a national women’s team and league, the message from FIFA’s top official was clear: “Invest in the beautiful game, it will be the best investment you can make.”
