Qiddiya Investment Company, QIC, has awarded a SAR 4 billion, approximately USD 1.1 billion, contract to Khobar-based Nesma & Partners and Madrid-based FCC Construction to build the Prince Mohammad bin Salman Stadium in Qiddiya city, Riyadh. According to a report from Meed, the stadium will be able to hold 45,000 spectators and will be completed by 2029.
Confirmation of the timeline by Khaled Al Ojyan, senior architect at the Royal Commission for Riyadh, came via LinkedIn, while US architecture firm Populous has been selected to design the venue.
This ambitious stadium development is part of Saudi Arabia’s aggressive expansion in sports infrastructure as it pursues its goals under Vision 2030. The Kingdom’s sports economy, valued at approximately USD 8 billion, is projected to cross the mark of USD 22 billion by the end of the decade. This push is part of Saudi Arabia’s broader aim to become a global sports hub, with Vice Minister of Sport Bader Al Kadi saying, “We want to be a leading country when it comes to sport, and a sport hub for lots of the sports which we are focusing on.”
Saudi Arabia has been in aggressive pursuit of major international sporting events during the last couple of years. With Australia pulling out of the race, the Kingdom now appears to be the only bidder for the 2034 FIFA World Cup. Saudi Arabia’s bid book, which was published in August, proposed five cities with 15 stadiums: Riyadh, Jeddah, Al Khobar, Abha, and Neom.
Also, the Kingdom is looking into the possibility of hosting future Olympic Games as a part of strategy aimed at increasing its status and presence in the global sports arena. Of late, FIFA announced that the voting process concerning World Cup host nations was changed to a system of voting that will probably benefit Saudi Arabia’s candidature for 2034.
The increasing infrastructure of sports and events contributes to the country’s growing influence in the international sporting community.
