Saudi Arabia is retreating from plans to build Neom Stadium, one of its most ambitious venues for the 2034 FIFA World Cup, after delays and a reduction in the scale of the development intended to surround it, according to two sources familiar with the matter who spoke to Reuters on Sunday.
The stadium was planned as a suspended venue inside The Line, a glass-and-steel development stretching 160 kilometres and forming part of the wider Neom project.
Neom was launched about 10 years ago as a central pillar of Vision 2030, the programme established by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Hosting the 2034 World Cup is a major priority for Saudi Arabia, which has invested heavily in sport through the Public Investment Fund as part of that strategy.
The tournament will be the first expanded World Cup featuring 48 teams to be staged in a single country.
Saudi Arabia plans to build or renovate 15 stadiums across five cities, alongside dozens of training facilities. However, the distribution of the venues and the scale of the related developments are creating difficulties for the project.
According to data supplied by Meed Projects to Reuters, the combined value of the stadium and associated infrastructure projects is estimated at $22.7bn. The expected cost of the suspended Neom Stadium was put at $2.5bn, with a planned capacity of about 46,000 spectators.
No completion date has been set for Neom Stadium. The same data indicates that the country’s other stadiums and facilities are at varying stages of development, with completion expected between 2026 and 2033.
A third source said the geographical spread of the stadium projects was making delivery more complicated. The source added that the situation could become more difficult because some developments intended to host stadiums, including The Line and New Murabba in Riyadh, have been delayed or scaled back.
Reuters previously reported that the Saudi Public Investment Fund was shifting its focus away from costly megaprojects towards investments capable of producing financial returns more quickly. Saudi officials later confirmed that strategy.
Work on other planned venues is continuing, according to a fourth source who spoke to Reuters.
One project scheduled to reach completion this year is Aramco Stadium in Khobar, in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province. The venue is expected to be finished by the end of the year and is due to host its first match in January, with tickets for the fixture already on sale.
