Riyadh is striving to gain the support of Tehran in its attempts to secure the hosting rights of the 2030 FIFA World Cup, an Iranian lawmaker told reporters on Monday.
"The Saudis announced that they intend to host the World Cup. They asked Iran to help Riyadh and vote in favor of Saudi Arabia in international meetings in this regard," Shiva Qassemipour, a female member of Iran's parliament, told Iranian state news agency IRNA.
Qassemipour was part of a delegation of Iranian parliamentarians who recently visited the kingdom alongside the country's Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian.
Saudi Attempts to Emerge as a Sports Superpower
Her comments come at a time when Saudi Arabia's actions in the world of sports have been making headlines.
In recent years, the Sunni-majority nation has made multiple forays in different sports - from hosting the first-ever Formula 1 race in the kingdom to causing tumult in the golf world through its rebel league (which is now merging with the PGA Tour) to acquiring an English Premier League Club (Newcastle United), it has done it all.
What's more, the Saudi Pro League, the top football tournament in the oil-rich country, has witnessed the arrival of marquee names such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema in recent years. While Ronaldo joined the club Al Nassr last year, the Frenchman signed a contract with Al-Ittihad in June.
Against this backdrop, hosting the FIFA World Cup in Saudi Arabia is said to be Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's dream project as he wants to showcase that his vision to reform the conservative Saudi society was taking shape.
Previously, Saudi Arabia was contemplating a joint bid with Greece and Egypt to host the 2030 World Cup before reportedly deciding against the proposal.
Recent reports suggest that the Gulf state will launch a unilateral bid instead.