A decade before football hosts the World Cup, the scale of the task facing Saudi Arabia is becoming clear, including building stadiums, hotels and transport links.
As the only country to bid, Saudi Arabia was selected by FIFA as the host of the 2034 World Cup last October.
Infrastructure is the first concern of the oil-rich kingdom, which is pursuing high-profile sporting events in a bid to shed its conservative image and encourage foreign investment.
Despite its oil wealth, the world’s largest crude oil exporter has a lot on its plate. As part of de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s ambitious Vision 2030 economic diversification plan, he has also undertaken several other giant projects, including NEOM, a $500 billion, futuristic new city.
According to the tender document, to host the World Cup involving 48 teams, the country needs 14 all-seat stadiums that can accommodate at least 40,000 people.
It currently has two stadiums: Jeddah’s King Abdullah Sports City Stadium and Riyadh’s venerable King Fahd International Stadium, which is undergoing major renovations.
Saudi Arabia has a well-established and popular football league, but among its more than 30 stadiums, most are old, small and have fields surrounded by athletics tracks; This is also a design that has long been outdated.
“We have 10 years ahead of us that will see the situation of stadiums in Saudi Arabia change radically,” a Saudi Football Federation official told AFP. said.
“This is a huge challenge, but we will get through it,” the official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
When the World Cup started, the fact that the desert country of 32 million people hosted the 2027 Asian Cup and even the 2029 Asian Winter Games drew reaction from environmentalists.
In 2034, the same year as the World Cup, Riyadh will host the Asian Games, a two-week tournament featuring more events and a similar number of athletes than the Summer Olympics.
– Clifftop stadium –
Alcohol-banned Saudi Arabia was the sole bidder for 2034, a year after gas-rich neighbor Qatar hosted the Middle East’s first World Cup at an eye-watering cost of $220 billion, including associated infrastructure.
Frequently accused of “making fun of sports”, the Saudis can expect the same criticism over women’s rights, anti-homosexuality laws and migrant labor that Qatari organizers have faced.
As the 2027 Asian Cup approaches, work has begun not only on repairs to the King Fahd International Stadium, but also on a new cliff-top venue in Qiddiya, a megaproject outside the capital, and another stadium in the eastern city of Dammam.
It is planned to be opened entirely in 2026.
Officials are planning another plan, the design of which has already been approved, in Diriyah, the former base of the Al Saud royal dynasty, according to a Saudi official.
According to local media reports, the sports ministry is preparing to open a tender worth 10 billion riyals ($2.69 billion) to build and expand football fields.
World Cup matches are planned for Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam and Abha, as well as Qiddiya and NEOM, both of which are under construction and are cornerstones of Prince Mohammed’s Vision 2030.
Architect Hussein Mahran said the Saudis will need more than stadiums.
“Factors such as urban and intercity accommodation and public transport still need to be improved,” he told AFP at a conference on stadium design and engineering held in Riyadh last month. said.
“But it is clear that the kingdom is moving strongly along this path,” he added.
-‘It’s not easy at all’-
Summer months in a country where temperatures exceed 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) daily can make any outdoor activity dangerous, posing the risk of dehydration, heatstroke and heart failure.
But Saudi Arabian Football Federation President Yasser Al Misehal told AFP last year that he was open to a summer or winter World Cup.
Radwan Darwish of Saudi GreenAire cooling company said his firm had applied for a contract to cool three existing stadiums used for the Saudi Pro League, which has launched a campaign to attract top international players and has attracted stars including Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar.
“Trying to transfer Europe’s success in the football world to the kingdom is, realistically, difficult without adapting all the stadiums,” Darwish told AFP due to the intense heat. said.
One of the biggest tasks is to develop the Saudi workforce to run a successful World Cup.
Stadiums need event managers, security, ticketing staff, cleaners and food and beverage teams.
Lee Collier of consultancy group STRI called this a “significant challenge” to “develop and create sufficient numbers of people who can manage these venues”.
While Saudi Arabia has the petrodollars to import such expertise, it also has a mission to develop Saudi talent, Collier said.
“The journey is not easy,” said Sophocles Sophocleous, who represents a hybrid turf company.
“But what gives hope is the commitment at the highest level to help Saudi Arabia achieve this goal and, of course, the financial capital.”
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