Saudi Arabia, hosts of the 2034 football World Cup, could make a bid for the 2035 Rugby World Cup despite barely playing the game. Sports minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal was not ruling it out when he met reporters on the sidelines of Sunday's floodlit Formula One grand prix in Jeddah. "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?" The Times newspaper reported last month that Saudi Arabia could join with Qatar, hosts of football’s 2022 World Cup, and the United Arab Emirates in a joint bid for 2035 or 2039. It quoted Asia Rugby President Qais Al Dhalai, an Emirati, as saying it could happen. "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," he said. The UAE are ranked 49th in the world, with Qatar 87th and Saudi Arabia not in the top 113. Australia hosts the next men's tournament in 2027, with the United States hosting in 2031. Al-Faisal said Saudi Arabia, which has also been awarded the 2029 Asian Winter Games, has 97 sports federations and could not host everything. "But why do we have 97 federations? Because we want to promote sports, even the smallest sports that maybe a small number of people participate in in Saudi or there isn't that big of an interest, so at least someone can play that sport in the kingdom." The country has spent heavily on sport but critics accuse it of 'sportswashing' its human rights record. The country denies rights abuses and says it protects national security through its laws.