The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) has unveiled details of Saudi Arabia’s bid to host the largest-ever edition of the FIFA World Cup held in a single country. The official bid, under the slogan “Growing. Together”, outlines Saudi Arabia’s extensive plans and infrastructure projects.
The 2034 FIFA World Cup in Saudi Arabia will be largest World Cup held in one country with 48 teams participating and 104 games played.
As a result the infrastructure demands will be enormous. Saudi Arabia’s FIFA World Cup 2034 bid book outlines five host cities: Riyadh, Jeddah, Al Khobar, Abha, and NEOM. According to the bid book details:
“The five host cities are benefiting from major improvements in their sporting infrastructure as part of Vision 2030, all with long-term legacy in mind and in line with FIFA’s global vision to help develop football worldwide. These include refurbishments of existing stadia, stadia already being built, and the construction of new stadia. Several of these state-of-the-art stadia will form part of vibrant entertainment districts. These investments will yield economic and social value for years to come, using innovative, best-in-class, and sustainable technologies to ensure their continued suitability for football, other sports, and non-sporting events. An anchor tenant and a main legacy use have been identified for all stadia.”
Currently, three stadiums are under construction with eight other new stadiums planned for a total of 11 new stadiums. Four existing stadiums will be refurbished. Eight of the fifteen stadiums will have at least 45,000 seats with the proposed 92,000-seat King Salman Stadium in Riyadh set to host the final.
“The hosting plan includes 10 other locations for training camps, leveraging the Kingdom’s diverse geography. Saudi Arabia will have over 230,000 rooms across the five host cities, meeting FIFA requirements. A total of 132 training venues across 15 cities are proposed, including 72 stadiums for Base Camp Training Sites. The bid book outlines 10 proposed FIFA Fan Festival sites, with FIFA selecting one site in each host city. Locations include King Salman Park in Riyadh, Jeddah Waterfront, Al Bihar square in Abha, the marina within THE LINE in NEOM, and King Abdullah Park in Al Khobar.”
| City | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Riyadh | King Salman Stadium | 92,000 |
| Riyadh | King Fahd Sports City | 70,200 |
| Riyadh | Prince Faisal bin Fahd Sports City | 46,855 |
| Riyadh | King Saud University Stadium | 46,319 |
| Riyadh | Murabba Stadium (New) | 46,010 |
| Riyadh | Roshn Stadium (New) | 46,000 |
| Riyadh | South Riyadh Stadium (New) | 40,060 |
| Qiddiya | Prince Mohammed bin Salman Stadium | 46,979 |
| Neom | Neom Stadium | 46,010 |
| Khobar | Aramco Stadium (New) | 46,096 |
| Jeddah | King Abdullah Sports City Stadium | 58,432 |
| Jeddah | Qiddiya Coast Stadium (New) | 46,096 |
| Jeddah | Jeddah Development Stadium (New) | 45,794 |
| Jeddah | King Abdullah Economic City Stadium (New) | 45,700 |
| Abha | King Khalid University Stadium | 45,000 |
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saudi_Arabia_2034_FIFA_World_Cup_bid
In the introduction for Saudi Arabia’s bid book, HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman writes:
“This year represents the midpoint towards achieving the targets and ambitions of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030. In the Kingdom, we recognize the importance of the sport sector in achieving further growth and development. We look forward to hosting an exceptional and unprecedented edition of the FIFA World Cup™ by harnessing our strengths and capabilities to bring joy to football fans around the world. We aim to provide a diverse tourism, cultural and sport experience in a great historical and civilizational heritage.”
