FIFA confirmed last week 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.

Football's world governing body also set a tight deadline of October 31 for countries to register their interest, making it difficult for anyone else to receive the Government support they need and come forward.

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.

A joint bid from Spain, Portugal and Morocco has been named as the sole candidate for 2030 - and will be awarded the tournament if approved by the FIFA Congress in Bangkok next year, something which will almost certainly happen.

It means Saudi Arabia has a seemingly clear path to hosting the 2034 tournament, with FIFA facing criticism for allegedly fast-tracking the process in their favour.

"This is the second step of a hugely exciting journey that the nation is embarking on," said Yasser Al Misehal, President of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation.

"Last week we announced our ambitions to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup, and this official submission continues our journey to make the dreams of our people a reality. 

"The 2034 FIFA World Cup is our invitation to the world to witness Saudi Arabia's development, experience its culture and become part of its history. 

"We are extremely committed to presenting the most competitive bid possible that will also help unite the world through football."

The members of FIFA's Council previously elected World Cup hosts, but the power was handed to the Congress for the 2026 tournament following the organisation's corruption scandals.

A one country, one vote system then selected the United States, Canada and Mexico as the hosts and although the Congress will again technically pick the hosts for 2030 and 2034, the fact that there will likely be just one candidate in the frame for each tournament has led to accusations that FIFA has gone back to its old ways.

Football Australia chief executive James Johnson said the country was considering entering the 2034 race last week, potentially with New Zealand who it hosted the FIFA Women's World Cup with this year.

However, the two nations currently fall short of the 14 stadiums with a minimum capacity of 40,000 which would be required.

Saudi Arabia will host the Asian Cup in 2027 and if awarded the World Cup will inevitably face criticism for sportswashing - due to the country's human rights record.

The country staging the tournament could also mean another World Cup in November and December to avoid the heat of July and August - as was the case in Qatar last year.

Some of the world's best players have been attracted to the Saudi Pro League, with clubs in the oil-rich kingdom paying huge transfer fees and wages as part of a new found interest in football.

Riyadh, the Saudi Arabian capital, has already been awarded the 2034 Asian Games so it could be a bumper year of sport in the Kingdom.

The Asian Football Confederation, of which Australia is also a member, and a number of countries have already backed the Saudi bid.