MUST-READS

• Stadium naming rights for sale ahead of World Cup

  It is early days yet but the commercial case for local and international private sector companies sponsoring sports arenas in Saudi Arabia may yet emerge, after the 2034 host of the Fifa World Cup opened its stadiums to naming rights. For the moment, however, it looks as if state-backed companies with a mandate to promote the kingdom as well as themselves will dominate the space, even as sports in Saudi Arabia becomes increasingly commercialised.  “In the early stages, sponsors may primarily be state-backed entities, but the aspiration will be to attract private-sector interest in naming rights as matchday and TV audiences grow,” said Ben Gordon, associate partner at Albright Stonebridge Group, a consultancy based in Washington DC. “As Saudi Arabia becomes increasingly prominent in the boxing and mixed martial arts world, both Saudi and foreign companies may see a commercial case for sponsoring arenas.”

• One Year of Alat: A Bold Vision Taking Shape

  This February marks one year since Alat’s launch—a year of bold ambition, breakthrough innovation, and rapid growth. From multi-billion-dollar partnerships to industry expansion, Alat is driving Saudi Arabia’s rise as a global manufacturing leader. We’re at a pivotal moment where technology, sustainability, and automation are reshaping industry. Saudi Arabia isn’t just keeping pace—we’re leading the charge. And this is just the beginning. Here’s how Alat is shaping the future of advanced, sustainable manufacturing and setting new standards for industrial excellence.

• Despite regional truces, shadow of confrontation with Israel remains over Iraqi ‘resistance’

  The Gaza war has over the past year expanded to include Israeli attacks on Iranian and Syrian territory, and on Iran-allied Hezbollah in Lebanon. In recent months, this has raised significant concerns that a potential wider conflict could extend to Iraq—particularly since the “Islamic Resistance in Iraq”, an umbrella entity aligned with the Tehran-led ‘Axis of Resistance’, has claimed numerous strikes on Israel. Iraq’s political elite has been divided on how to respond to such threats, especially following Israel’s strike on military sites in Iran only weeks after the attack in the Golan Heights. While some in the administration of Prime Minister Muhammad Shia’ Al-Sudani adopted a hawkish position, expressing a readiness to confront Israel directly in the event of an assault, reports suggest that a tenuous consensus was reached to limit Iraq’s exposure to the fray. That consensus seemingly remains in place.

• Zelensky delays trip to Saudi Arabia amid US-Russia talks

  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has postponed an official visit to Saudi Arabia set for this week amid U.S.-Russia negotiations in Riyadh. Zelensky, who was not planning to participate in the Tuesday talks between Washington and Moscow to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, said he was delaying the trip because of Kyiv’s lack of invitation to the negotiations. He suggested that he wanted to avoid his visit being tied to the meetup. “We were not invited to this Russian-American meeting in Saudi Arabia. It was a surprise for us. I think it was a surprise for many people,” Zelensky said at a news conference in Ankara alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. “We are absolutely honest and open. I don’t want any coincidences. That’s why I’m not going to Saudi Arabia.” Zelensky will now visit Saudi Arabia on March 10. He had said Monday that he planned to visit the country later this week.

• DAZN Sells Minority Stake to Saudi Arabia’s Surj Sports Investment in Landmark $1 Billion Deal

  The long-gestating deal — widely believed to involve PIF paying $1 billion in exchange for 10 per cent of DAZN — gives Saudi Arabia a piece of DAZN, which in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region rivals powerhouse beIN Sports, from neighboring Qatar. Qatar, incidentally, hosted the FIFA soccer World Cup in 2022, while Saudi Arabia will be hosting the 2034 edition of that event.  Founded in 2007, London-based DAZN, which has been dubbed the “Netflix of sports,” is now operating in more than 200 markets, having gone on a systematic sports rights’ buying spree that caused the streamer to report a £1.2 billion ($1.51 billion) loss for 2023. The deal with Surj Sports will certainly help shore up DAZN’s finances.

• What We Learned From High-Stakes U.S.-Russia Talks In Saudi Arabia

  The more than four-hour meeting in Riyadh -- which was attended by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov -- is part of a major diplomatic push by the United States to bring the war to an end. The discussions were framed by U.S. officials as exploratory talks that could pave the way for a potential in-person meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. These comprise fully restoring their diplomatic missions in Washington and Moscow after years of sanctions and expulsions, appointing a high-level team to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, exploring further "geopolitical and economic cooperation that could result from an end to the conflict in Ukraine," and ensuring that the U.S. and Russian delegations present in Riyadh will remain engaged in discussions moving forward.

• Who are the Russian officials meeting with US team in Saudi Arabia?
  Lavrov, aged 74 and in office since 2004, is Moscow's longest-serving foreign minister since Soviet times. A graduate of the prestigious Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO), he speaks fluent English and French and also Sinhalese, having worked as a Soviet diplomat in Sri Lanka.  Before becoming foreign minister, Lavrov was Russia's permanent representative to the United Nations. He can be acerbic, especially with interlocutors whom he considers poorly prepared, but also dour, once remarking: "I am not paid to be an optimist."

• Trump-Putin meeting not imminent, as first US-Russia talks on Ukraine finish in Riyadh

  Negotiations Tuesday between Russia and the United States led by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio have concluded in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The bilateral talks lasted about 4.5 hours and, according to Russian leader Vladimir Putin's top aide Yuri Ushakov, the negotiations "went well." However, a summit between Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump is unlikely to take place next week, as "intensive work" is needed first, according to the aide. The U.S. State Department called the meeting an "important step forward" as Lavrov and Rubio agreed to form high-level negotiating teams to discuss a settlement to the war in Ukraine “as soon as possible in a way that is enduring, sustainable, and acceptable to all sides.”

• Opec+ market share to fall as US ramps up oil output

  The Opec+ group’s market share was 53 percent when it was set up in 2016. That figure is likely to drop to 46 percent in 2025 and 2026, even as Opec+ gradually reverses 2023 cuts in production quotas and actually increases supply, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). Opec+ supply is expected to grow by 100,000 barrels per day this year to 35.8 million bpd and by 600,000 bpd next year. Unlike the Opec+ members, the US is not subject to quotas. “Opec+ has to resume executing its initial plan, pumping back (oil), at least to hold back part of the market share it is losing,” Choeib Boutamine, CEO of Ranadrill Consulting, a training and consulting company in Algeria, told AGBI.

• PIF’s $1bn Dazn deal creates new Mena sports streamer

  Surj Sports Investment, a unit of Saudi’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), has acquired a minority stake in UK-based global sports network Dazn. The deal, believed to be worth $1 billion, will establish new broadcasting joint venture Dazn Mena, which the companies say will broadcast live and on-demand sports from Saudi Arabia. The partnership will also capitalise “on the significant growth in demand for high-quality sports broadcasting,” the companies said – a signal that Dazn Mena could rival Qatari broadcasting giant Bein Sports. Danny Townsend, CEO at Surj Sports Investment, said the investment would help Surj “achieve its mandate of driving fan engagement, encouraging sports participation and unlocking game-changing opportunities, and further showcasing the region as a destination for world-class sports.”

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