Saudi Arabia’s sports minister says his country, Qatar and the UAE would stage “the most successful event in the history of rugby” if awarded the right to host the 2035 World Cup.

With World Rugby reportedly looking to bring the tournament back to Europe in 2035 (the 2027 and 2031 events are scheduled to take place in Australia and the USA respectively), Spain is the early favourite to win the bid to host the 2035 World Cup.

However, according to reports, Saudi Arabia – which will host the 2034 Fifa World Cup – is considering making an audacious bid to bring rugby’s global showpiece to the Middle East for the first time.

This was confirmed by Saudi Arabia sports minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal after last weekend’s Formula 1 Jeddah Grand Prix.

“We’re interested in rugby, we’re interested in developing the sport locally, so we created a federation to see what we can do to develop the sport,” he said.

“I don’t think we’re on the level of hosting yet, but 2035 is in 10 years, so maybe it grows in that direction and we see a big interest in that, then why not?”

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Faisal also expressed a willingness to co-host the event.

“A multi-host could be a successful story and a new model for rugby. UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia. Why not? The stadiums are ready there. It will be the most successful event in the history of rugby.”

Photo: AFP via Getty Images