Al-Ettifaq head coach Steven Gerrard commented on Saudi Arabia’s announcement to bid for the 2034 World Cup.
Saudi Arabia have been trying to host a World Cup for a while now after attempting to host the 2030 edition after a joint bid with Egypt and Greece.
However, FIFA announced on Wednesday that Morocco, Portugal, and Spain will host the event as the Green Falcons missed out on the opportunity.
They have now turned their attention to the next iteration of the tournament, with the Saudi Football Federation (SFF) releasing an official statement confirming their intention to bid for hosting rights.
“Today, we enter the next chapter of Saudi football with the intention to bid to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup,” the SFF said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Steven Gerrard reacted to the news a day later and the Englishman is hoping to remain part of Al-Ettifaq until the event takes place.
“Incredible to think that the 11-year journey to a home FIFA World Cup might have already started for some of my youth players. Hard work starts now,” Gerrard wrote on his Instagram.
Al-Ettifaq have had a bright start to their Saudi Pro League campaign and are currently in fifth place, just three points behind leaders Al-Hilal in the standings.
Their incredible run of form saw the Dammam-based side grab wins over Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr, Al-Hazm, Damac, Abha, and Al-Tai.
They have also signed a number of high-profile players in the transfer window bringing in Jordan Henderson, Jack Hendry, Moussa Dembele, Georginio Wijnaldum, and Demarai Gray from Everton.