The Premier League and other European top divisions are likely to oppose any attempt to stage a Saudi World Cup in the winter.

The Middle East nation is set to be rubberstamped as hosts of the 2034 finals at an online FIFA Congress on Wednesday, potentially through a vote by acclamation.

Opposition from national associations is set to be symbolic at best, but a tougher challenge may lie ahead for FIFA and Saudi Arabia in getting domestic leagues onside.

European Leagues, which includes the Premier League among its membership, is already involved in a legal row with FIFA over what it sees as a lack of consultation over the international calendar, and the PA news agency understands there are huge concerns among leagues over the fixture chaos a winter World Cup in 2034 would cause.

Scheduling a World Cup mid-season would also likely have a knock-on effect to the seasons either side of the campaign interrupted by the finals.

Domestic leagues did pause for the 2022 finals in Qatar, but doing so again would be much more challenging given the expansion of European club competition that has occurred since, and the World Cup's growth into a 48-team tournament.

For the 2026 finals, players are set to be with their country for up to eight weeks, from the start of the mandatory release period on May 25 up to the final on July 19.

FIFA's bid evaluation report notes temperatures in Saudi Arabia are at their mildest between October and April, with daytime temperatures in June and July - when the World Cup is traditionally played - exceeding 40 degrees Celsius.

None of the British football associations have issued any comment to date on either the process or specifically Saudi Arabia's suitability to host the finals, despite warnings from human rights campaigners that migrant workers will die without major reforms.

Saudi Arabia was effectively handed the finals by an agreement reached at a FIFA Council meeting on October 4 last year.