Within days, Saudi had the key backing of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), scuppering any faint prospect of Australia teaming up with Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. That gave Saudi a free run at 2034, and the Australians duly bowed out of what can barely be called a race.

With news that Saudi Arabia is going to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup, will we have another winter tournament? How will human rights be managed as it builds brand-new stadiums?

The Saudi bid was the only candidate and was acclaimed by the applause of more than 200 FIFA member federations.