As part of their proposal to host the 2034 World Cup, Saudi Arabia has submitted plans to construct 11 stadiums, one of which will be located 350 meters above sea level.
The only ways to get to the proposed stadium in Neom, an unbuilt city in the nation’s northwest, will be by autonomous cars and high-speed lifts.
A quarterfinal match is scheduled to take place at the arena, which is a component of the nation’s “The Line” initiative to diversify the kingdom’s economy away from oil.
There is no opposition to Saudi Arabia’s bid, and the nation has until October 31 to submit its ideas.
Eight of the eleven new stadiums—including the 92,760 King Salman International Stadium, which will host both the opening and championship games—will be located in Riyadh, the capital.
There will also be matches in the cities of Jeddah, Al Khobar, and Abha.
The expanded competition, with 48 teams, will be hosted in a single nation for the first time in 2034 with the World Cup.
The Fifa congress is scheduled to confirm the hosts on December 11.
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Neom will require an entirely new city to be built, featuring The Line, a car-free city 200m wide and 170km long, with only 2.4km expected by 2030. The Line will be taller than the Empire State Building and as long as the distance between Bristol and London. Neom’s stadium will run on renewable energy, with plans for a new international airport to handle 12 million visitors annually by 2034. Airports in Riyadh and Abha will be expanded, and train and bus routes extended for efficient travel. Hosting costs, likely in the hundreds of billions, are not specified, but Qatar spent $220bn for the 2022 World Cup.
For the weather to be sufficiently cold, a winter competition might be required, as was the case with the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
October through April are the months with the mildest temperatures in Saudi Arabia.
The host cities have daily average temperatures between 15 and 30 degrees Celsius during those months.
The average daily temperature is between 17 and 38C from May to September.
Also
Since 2021, Saudi Arabia has invested over £5bn in sports, hosting major events in football, Formula 1, golf, and boxing, while its Public Investment Fund launched the LIV Golf series, took over four Saudi Pro League clubs, and bought Newcastle United. Critics accuse the country of ‘sportswashing’ to improve its international image, citing human rights violations, including the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, women’s rights abuses, criminalization of homosexuality, restricted free speech, and the war in Yemen. Saudi officials argue that sports investments boost the economy, tourism, and public activity. Bidding to host events requires a commitment to human rights. Saudi sports minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal dismisses sportswashing claims as “very shallow,” emphasizing that hosting events aids the country’s reforms.
