Saudi Arabia ‘to scale back’ Neom stadium plans for 2034 World Cup | OneFootball

Reuters reports that Saudi Arabia is stepping back from plans to build the Neom Stadium for the 2034 World Cup, with project delays and a reduced scope for its host development behind the move.

Conceived as a venue suspended within “The Line”, a 160 kilometre glass and steel scheme inside the wider Neom development, the stadium had been one of the Kingdom’s most ambitious builds. Neom, launched around 10 years ago, sits at the heart of Vision 2030 set out by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The 2034 tournament is central to that vision. It will be the first World Cup in the expanded 48-team format to be held in a single country, with 15 stadiums across 5 cities being built or refurbished alongside dozens of training facilities.

MEED Projects puts the total value of these works at about 22.7 billion dollars. The suspended Neom Stadium was projected to cost 2.5 billion dollars with capacity near 46,000, and no completion date set.

Elsewhere, venues and facilities are at varying stages, with timelines running from 2026 to 2033. The wide geographic spread is adding delivery complexity, and some host schemes, including “The Line” and Riyadh’s “The New Murabba”, face postponement or downsizing.

The Public Investment Fund has shifted emphasis toward quicker financial returns, a strategy later confirmed by Saudi officials. Even so, the Aramco Stadium in Khobar is due to be finished by year-end, set for its first match next January with ticket sales under way, and work on other planned stadiums is proceeding.

Source: Goal.com

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