That is according to Ahmed Al-Khatteb, Saudi Arabia's minister of tourism, who has confirmed that hosting high-profile sporting events - including the FIFA World Cup, Formula One races and world championship boxing - forms a central part of the country's long-term plans.
In a post on LinkedIn, Al-Khatteb explained: "For Saudi Arabia, sports tourism is a pillar of transformation, deeply embedded in Saudi Vision 2030.
"In the past four years alone, the Kingdom has been making waves, hosting 80 international sporting events that have attracted 2.5 million tourists. Formula One in Jeddah, which brought in visitors from 160 countries, created 20,000 jobs, and generated a SAR 900 million economic in impact.
"The Kingdom has served as a destination for a diverse range of global sporting events, including the WWE Super Showdown, the Saudi Pro-Golf Championship, Battle of the Champions, Formula E, E-Prix, International Handball Federation Super Globe and Saudi International Meeting for Disabilities Sport.
"But our ambitions don’t stop there. As the first country to host a 48-team FIFA World Cup, Saudi Arabia will unite more fans from around the world like never before - creating an unprecedented global gathering. With 60 percent of the world’s population within an eight-hour flight, this positions us to deliver one of the most accessible and connected tournaments in history.
"It is therefore clear that the 2034 FIFA World Cup is the natural next step in Saudi Arabia’s ongoing transformation journey."
Al-Khatteb hopes to create a cultural legacy for Saudi Arabia.
He said: "The synergy between Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Tourism and Ministry of Sport is redefining the intersection of sport, culture, and global tourism. The combined efforts have been transforming sporting events in the Kingdom into platforms of storytelling, expression and national pride."
