Saudi Arabia to host 2034 World Cup

FIFA officially announced today, Dec. 11, that Saudi Arabia was chosen to host the 2034 World Cup.

Saudi Arabia submitted its bid to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup and was the sole contender for hosting the tournament. In November, the Saudi bid received an evaluation score of 419.8 out of 500, the highest score ever recorded for a World Cup hosting bid.

The Kingdom submitted its bid in July under the slogan "Growing. Together," revealing an exclusive masterplan for the World Cup to be hosted across five major cities: Riyadh, Jeddah, Al Khobar, Abha, and NEOM.

The bid includes comprehensive plans and exceptional development projects, showcasing the Kingdom's significant capabilities aimed at fully embracing one of the world's largest and most prestigious sporting events, the historic FIFA World Cup.

Saudi Arabia aspires to organize a tournament that ranks as the most-watched sporting event in history.

The five host cities will feature 15 state-of-the-art stadiums, including 11 new venues. Riyadh alone will host eight stadiums designated for World Cup matches, including the new King Salman Stadium, which will have a capacity of over 92,000 spectators. This stadium is planned to host both the opening and final matches of the tournament and will serve as the new home ground for the Saudi national team.

Regarding the training centers of the national teams, a total of 132 training centers have been proposed in 15 cities that will host the 48 participating teams and their accompanying delegations, including 72 stadiums designated for training camps, in addition to two training centers designated for referees.

FIFA will select one site in each host city, as the list of proposed sites includes King Salman Park in Riyadh, which is set to become the largest urban park in the world. The list of other proposed sites includes the Jeddah Waterfront on the Red Sea, Al-Bahar Square in Abha within the Abha Valley project, the marina within the The Line project in NEOM, King Abdullah Park in Al-Khobar, and other areas that enable fans to watch matches and enjoy exceptional experiences in a distinctive entertainment atmosphere throughout the weeks of the tournament.

In addition to the new King Salman Stadium in the capital Riyadh, the construction of Prince Mohammed bin Salman Stadium in Qiddiya has been announced, which is an architectural masterpiece with its three-tiered stands and a stunning view of one of the peaks of Tuwaiq Mountain. The stadium features an innovative, futuristic design that is unprecedented worldwide, and most of its external facades are covered with colored glass and LED screens.

The famous King Fahd Sports City Stadium, which will be developed according to the latest international standards, will also be expanded to accommodate more than 70,000 spectators.

In Jeddah, the to-be-built Jeddah Central Stadium will feature an architectural design inspired by the local heritage and traditional wooden architecture of the historic Jeddah Al-Balad area. Meanwhile, the coastal stadium in King Abdullah Economic City will meet the needs of the city’s vibrant community in addition to the beauty of its natural design inspired by the stunning coral reefs of the Red Sea.

In Al Khobar, Aramco Stadium will be located on the shores of the Arabian Gulf, which is characterized by a dynamic design inspired by the sea. The architectural elements of the stadium include a number of interlocking sails and decorations that mimic the shape of natural waves, in harmony with the surrounding coastal environment on the Kingdom’s shores.

King Khalid University Stadium in Abha, currently used by the university, is undergoing temporary expansions work to boost its capacity to accommodate more than 45,000 spectators, with the aim of using it to host matches of the FIFA World Cup 2034™. In addition, the renovation process will focus on upgrading the infrastructure, while taking into account the sustainable legacy of the stadium.

Further, the NEOM Stadium is expected to be the most distinctive stadium in the world, as it is located at a height of more than 350 meters within the structure of The Line. It provides an exceptional and unprecedented experience for attending football matches. The stadium’s primary sources of energy include wind and solar energy, which is a historical qualitative leap in stadiums around the world.

In order to exploit the Kingdom’s geographical area and diverse regions, the hosting plan will extend to 10 cities supporting the host cities, in which some of the participating teams’ camps will be hosted before and during the tournament. These cities are distinguished by their tourist areas that will enable the participating teams and the attending fans to explore the Kingdom’s cultural heritage and have unique tourist experiences during the hosting period.

With regard to accommodation, the bid includes more than 230,000 rooms distributed across the host cities and those supporting VIPs, FIFA delegations, participating teams, media professionals and tournament fans.