JEDDAH (Reuters) -Saudi Arabia, hosts of the 2034 soccer 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.