Saudi Arabia to build 92,000-seat King Salman Stadium in Riyadh

Image credit: Royal Commission for Riyadh City/ X

Saudi Arabia’s Royal Commission for Riyadh City and the Ministry of Sport unveiled plans for a 92,000-capacity stadium that can host major sporting events as the kingdom looks set to win the right to host the 2034 World Cup.

The King Salman Stadium, as the sporting facility is known, will be completed in the fourth quarter of 2029, according to the state news agency SPA.

“This design was chosen from several submissions by six international companies, ensuring it meets FIFA requirements and standards of sustainability and architectural excellence,” the Royal Commission for Riyadh City said in a social media post on X.

Covering more than 660,000 square meters, it will serve as the home ground for Saudi Arabia’s national soccer team.

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Stadium will be part of a sports complex featuring an indoor sports hall, an Olympic-sized pool, and other sporting facilities. These facilities cater to all age groups and are interconnected by a nine km-long sports track surrounding King Abdulaziz Park.

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It will also feature a 150-seat royal suite, 120 hospitality suites, 300 VIP seats, and 2,200 dignitary seats.

The King Salman Stadium will provide the infrastructure necessary to keep pace with sporting developments in the kingdom as part of Vision 2030’s sports objectives.

By hosting major global entertainment events, the stadium’s sporting and commercial facilities will boost investments and the local economy.

Saudi Arabia’s sporting ambitions

Meanwhile, the unveiling of the design for King Salman Stadium coincides with a period of remarkable growth in sports in Saudi Arabia, which is part of Vision 2030, an initiative aimed at social and economic transformation.

Earlier in July, the kingdom said it would host the inaugural Olympic Esports Games in 2025 under an agreement with the International Olympic Committee.

Saudi Arabia has invested heavily in sports, including soccer, motorsports, boxing, and golf. Since 2018, the kingdom has also hosted more than 100 international events for both male and female athletes, including esports, football, tennis, equestrian, and golf, drawing in more than 2.6 million sports fans.

Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund launched a new company in August 2023 to accelerate the growth of the sports sector in the kingdom and across the MENA region.

The new company, SRJ Sports Investments, will invest in acquiring and creating new sports events IP, commercial rights of popular and prominent sports competitions and hosting major global events in Saudi Arabia.

Furthermore, the Public Investment Fund is reportedly in discussions with multiple boxing stakeholders to create a league, potentially reshaping the sport’s competitive landscape.

Read: Saudi Arabia to host inaugural Olympic Esports Games, IOC says