Saudi Arabia plans for ‘futuristic’ clifftop 2034 World Cup stadium revealed
Saudi Arabia has unveiled designs for a hi-tech stadium atop a 200-metre high cliff near Riyadh where the kingdom plans to stage games at the 2034 World Cup.
The 45,000-seat venue will be named Prince Mohammed bin Salman Stadium for the crown prince of the oilrich kingdom that wants to become the major player in world sports over the next decade. The design has a retractable roof and field, plus an LED wall with hundreds of metres of screens to create an immersive experience for fans, the Qiddiya Investment Company said in a statement.
“The futuristic venue aims to reinvent the traditional stadium concept,” the QIC said.
The stadium is a centrepiece of the Qiddiya City project that aims to create an entertainment, gaming and sports hub 45km (30 miles) from downtown Riyadh, the Saudi capital. The LED wall is designed to open out on to views of the city below, the QIC said.
The QIC is wholly owned by the Public Investment Fund, which is chaired by the crown prince. It manages about $700bn in Saudi sovereign wealth and includes investments in the LIV Golf project and English Premier League club Newcastle.
The QIC said the new stadium is intended to become the home venue of Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal, the Riyadh clubs who last year signed Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar, respectively.
Saudi Arabia is the only bidder to host the men’s World Cup in 2034, with Fifa set to confirm its pick late this year in a confirmation vote by more than 200 national football federations. Fifa bid documents state 14 stadiums are needed for the 48-team tournament. The futuristic new city Neom is also likely to be in the World Cup project.
The giant construction projects in Saudi Arabia have raised concerns about their environmental impact, and the Qiddiya stadium is planned to have a lake built beneath it.
“The lake will use rainwater capture from the stadium and the surrounding area to precool the air conditioning system,” the QIC said.
It remains to be seen exactly how the country’s human rights record conforms to Fifa’s guidelines, which are nominally aligned with the United Nations’ guiding principles on business and human rights. Question marks hover over at least one potential World Cup venue and Fifa will be expected to ensure any guarantees to protect workers’ rights, in particular, go beyond window dressing
Saudi officials, who also are preparing to host the 2027 Asian Cup, have said the kingdom wants to host all 104 games at the 2034 World Cup on its territory. However, several neighbouring and nearby states can be called on to join the project.
Three countries – the United States, Canada and Mexico – will co-host the first 48-team edition in 2026. Six countries scattered across three continents have teamed up for the 2030 tournament which is Fifa’s only candidate. Spain and Portugal included Morocco this year to their longstanding bid, then Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay were surprise additions in October. The South American neighbours will get just one game each.
The architect attached to the new Saudi stadium project is Populous, which worked on Olympic stadiums in Australia and Russia and designed the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, that was purpose-built for NFL games as well as football matches.