Australia is still exploring a bid to host the men’s soccer World Cup in 2034 despite Asia’s football confederation throwing its support behind Saudi Arabia.

Football Australia chief executive James Johnson hasn’t directly addressed the Asian backing of the Saudi bid – a disaster for any Australian tender.

But he gave no indication it has tempered Australia’s interest in hosting the showpiece men’s tournament.

“As stated previously, Football Australia is exploring the possibility of bidding for the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup and/or the FIFA World Cup 2034,” Johnson said in a statement on Thursday.

“We are encouraged that after the hugely successful FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023 the football family of Asia and Oceania will once again have the opportunity to showcase their ability to welcome the world and host the best FIFA tournaments.”

FIFA earlier on Thursday invited Asia and Oceania nations to bid for the 2034 tournament, with Saudi Arabia making an instant pitch.

“HRH the Crown Prince: Saudi Arabia’s desire to bid for the 2034 FIFA World Cup is a reflection of the country’s progress in all sectors,” the Saudi Press Agency’s English outlet said.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) backed the Saudi bid.

(Photo by Marvin Ibo Guengoer – GES Sportfoto/Getty Images)

“The entire Asian football family will stand united in support of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s momentous initiative,” AFC president Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa said in a statement on Thursday.

“And we are committed to working closely with the global football family to ensure its success.”

Spain, Portugal and Morocco are likely co-hosts of the 2030 World Cup, with three South American countries to stage opening games to mark the centenary of the initial tournament in Uruguay.

FIFA reached an agreement on Wednesday between soccer’s continental leaders to accept only one candidate for hosting the 2030 tournament in six countries.

The Spain-Portugal bid grew to add Morocco this year and now also includes long-time bid rivals Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.

All six national teams will get automatic entry to the 48-team tournament.

A key lure of the unprecedented three-continent project is being able to open in the Uruguayan capital of Montevideo, where the Centenario Stadium hosted the inaugural 1930 World Cup final.

“The centennial World Cup could not be far from South America, where everything began,” said Alejandro Dominguez, the president of South American soccer body CONMEBOL. “The 2030 World Cup will be played in three continents.”

The consensus reached by once-rival soccer continents also let FIFA fast-track the opening of the 2034 World Cup bidding contest, limited to member federations from Asia and Oceania.

Either way, the 2034 tournament will almost certainly be played in November and December — like last year’s World Cup in Qatar.

Accelerating the choice of a 2034 host to the end of next year will be widely seen as a victory for Saudi Arabia and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has built close ties to FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

“We want to celebrate our football culture and share our country with the world,” Yasser Al Misehal, the president of the Saudi soccer federation and a member of the FIFA Council, said in a government statement announcing its intention to bid.

The FIFA Council’s acceptance of a unified 2030 candidacy still needs formal approval next year at a meeting of the 211 member federations. That should be just a formality. The 2034 pick will be at a separate congress, FIFA said.

The 48-team, 104-game tournament scheduled for June-July 2030 is planned to start with games in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay before the action moves to the core host nations Spain, Portugal and Morocco.

The plan involves an unprecedented amount of travel across distances and time zones and was not popular with Football Supporters Europe, the fan group officially recognised by European soccer body UEFA.

“FIFA continues its cycle of destruction against the greatest tournament on earth,” FSE said in a statement. “Horrendous for supporters, disregards the environment and rolls the red carpet out to a host for 2034 with an appalling human rights record.”