Saudi Arabia has indefinitely suspended plans for its ambitious 46,000-seat NEOM Stadium, a significant venue envisioned for the 2034 FIFA World Cup. Reuters recently reported this development, citing two sources familiar with the project, impacting the USD 2.5 billion facility intended for The Line, a futuristic 160-kilometre urban development within the larger NEOM mega-project.
This pause comes as The Line faces reported delays and a reduction in its overall scale. The linear city formed a centrepiece of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's Vision 2030 programme, designed to diversify Saudi Arabia's economy beyond oil. In April, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, Governor of the Public Investment Fund (PIF) which owns NEOM, stated that The Line was no longer a priority for completion before its original 2030 target for the first phase. While Al-Rumayyan denied any project cancellations at the time, sources indicated the NEOM Stadium plans have since been placed on hold.
Neither NEOM nor the Saudi government's media office responded to Reuters' requests for comment. The Ministry of Sports directed inquiries about the stadium to the World Cup 2034 Hosting Higher Authority. The authority affirmed substantial progress on tournament construction milestones but offered no specific details regarding the NEOM Stadium or its estimated cost, instead releasing images of other ongoing stadium projects.
FIFA confirmed Saudi Arabia as the 2034 World Cup host on December 11, 2024, marking it as the second Middle Eastern nation to host the event after Qatar. This tournament will also be the first 48-team World Cup hosted by a single country. Saudi Arabia's comprehensive hosting plan involves 15 stadiums across five cities: Riyadh, Jeddah, Al Khobar, Abha, and NEOM. The overall value of Saudi Arabia's stadium and related World Cup projects stands at an estimated USD 22.7 billion. Among the ten new stadiums planned is the 92,000-capacity King Salman Stadium in Riyadh, slated to host the opening and final matches. Other facilities are progressing, with completion expected between 2026 and 2033. Notably, the Aramco Stadium in Al Khobar is on track for completion by the end of this year, with its first match scheduled for January.
Image: siasat.com
📰 Source: Siasat Gulf