By Rohith Nair
MIAMI, June 15 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's Sports Minister says the kingdom will work with FIFA to ensure ticket affordability and fan safety for the 2034 World Cup, amid regional instability and lessons from this year's finals in North America where costs have been a concern.
Match ticket prices, especially on the resale market, have been a bone of contention not only among fans but also with U.S. lawmakers who had called on FIFA to lower ticket costs, which have seen an astronomic rise
since the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki AlFaisal said that while FIFA own the tickets and set prices, Saudi Arabia would cooperate with world soccer's governing body to improve accessibility while also granting visas to more countries.
"This is something that we're going to work with FIFA on. Nobody wants to see a tournament such as the World Cup where people are struggling to come," AlFaisal told Reuters.
"We have more than 60 (countries whose citizens can get) e-visas on arrival and hopefully more to come. That actually started with a sporting event in the kingdom in 2018 when we hosted Formula E. Before that we didn't have any tourist visa.
"We've hosted more than 150 international events. All fans that have come have enjoyed (them), have found ease of access. So that's definitely one of the things that we really focus on to make sure that everyone has accessibility."
REGIONAL TENSIONS
Saudi Arabia is set to host soccer's 2027 Asian Cup, a key test of venues ahead of the kingdom's hosting of the 2034 World Cup. But the U.S.-Iran war and wider regional tensions risk complicating plans to welcome the world.
However, the minister emphasised that safety remained paramount for the kingdom while sporting events have not stopped amid the conflict, highlighting attendances in Saudi Pro League matches where the title race went down to the wire.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice to help Al Nassr clinch the SPL title on the final day of the season.
"Thanks to our leadership, His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince, we've been managing the situation in a very professional and safe way," he said.
"As you've seen, even during this situation that we have in the region, we haven't stopped. We continue to do so in a safe environment."
AlFaisal said they were working with their security agencies to ensure the safety of fans who arrive in Saudi Arabia.
"Hopefully, everything settles and everything continues to become a better environment for everyone in the future," he added. "But if the situation occurs, we'll definitely work to make sure that we deliver on what is required from us."
UNIQUE CHALLENGES IN 2034
The 2034 World Cup will mark the first time a single nation hosts the expanded 48-team format and AlFaisal said that presented unique challenges.
"A lot of things come into place: logistics, facilities, connectivity, building the base for the future of football within the kingdom," AlFaisal added.
Infrastructure development is already under way, with AlFaisal saying the Aramco Stadium is "almost 80%" complete and scheduled to host matches at the Asian Cup in January.
The King Fahd Stadium, built in the 1980s, is also being upgraded.
"For us, it is an iconic stadium, similar to Wembley or the Camp Nou ... So we preserved the stadium's look and feel because we're very proud of it," he said.
"But how do you uplift that to the FIFA standard? It was built in the '80s, so a lot has changed since then and that's what we want to preserve."
Looking ahead to this year's World Cup, where Saudi Arabia start their Group H campaign against Uruguay on Monday, they will aim to surpass their best-ever performance when they reached the last 16 in 1994 also in the United States.
AlFaisal said the team's shock 2-1 victory over eventual champions Argentina in Qatar four years ago had also increased expectations.
"It wasn't an upset at all for us. It was a surprise, I'll be honest," AlFaisal said of that famous result.
"It's very difficult because it raises the bar and it makes the expectations much higher, which is a challenge. But it's a good challenge."
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Miami; Editing by Ken Ferris)
