Rwanda’s football governing body (FERWAFA) has officially announced its full support for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s bid to host the FIFA World Cup 2034.

The development comes after Saudi Arabia in September submitted a letter of intent and signed declaration as it bids to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup. “Rwanda Football Association has expressed full support to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s bid to host FIFA World Cup 2034,” the Rwanda FA confirmed in a statement via its X account.

Saudi Arabia submitted the bid after the World Football governing body (FIFA) confirmed that only countries from Asia and Oceania will be eligible to bid for the flagship event in 11 years’ time, as part of a rotational system of hosts.

Officials of the Gulf Kingdom are convinced of the country’s ability to host the 2034 World Cup in the summer, despite the high heat, by holding matches in specific, high-altitude venues. Explaining the decision to support Saudi Arabia’s bid, Rwanda FA spokesperson Jules Karangwa told Times Sport that the strategic alliance solidifies the existing partnership between the two nations.

“We chose to support Saudi because of the existing partnership between the two federations and countries in general.” Karangwa said, adding: “We believe that Saudi Arabia’s bid to host the FIFA World Cup 2034 aligns perfectly with our shared vision of promoting football as a unifying force that transcends borders and brings people together.”

The World Cup has been long coveted by Saudi Arabia so the Kingdom’s bid was already relatively advanced, with the country announcing last month that it was ending its interest in jointly hosting the 2030 tournament with Egypt and Greece to focus on 2034 instead.