Saudi set to drop plans for five 2034 World Cup stadiums

Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund, is reportedly considering dropping plans for five new stadiums it had proposed for the 2034 World Cup, according to sources familiar with the matter. The fund may narrow its focus to three new stadiums as it reduces spending on some of its domestic investments. This could leave the kingdom with just 10 stadiums to host World Cup matches, down from the initially planned 15.

The proposed locations for the cancelled stadiums include King Abdullah Economic City and Qiddiya Coast near Jeddah, Roshn and New Murabba in Riyadh, and NEOM in the northwest. Several of the abandoned projects were part of larger real estate ventures that have stalled or slowed down. Officials from the Public Investment Fund and the Saudi Ministry of Sport have not commented on the potential changes.

Earlier reports had highlighted the cancellation of the NEOM stadium, which was to be built atop The Line, a 500-meter-tall skyscraper. However, work on The Line has effectively ceased, and NEOM has not allocated funds for the project until after 2030. Other proposed stadiums in Qiddiya Coast and Riyadh’s New Murabba district have also been set for cancellation due to delays.

Despite these reductions, Saudi Arabia is still planning to build other new stadiums, such as one in Dhahran by Saudi Aramco, and upgrade four existing venues. Four of the stadiums slated for 2034 will also serve as venues for the 2027 Asian Cup, whose future in Saudi Arabia is uncertain due to the ongoing conflict in Yemen. Qatar had previously abandoned four of its planned World Cup stadiums as the tournament approached.