Meed | Top 15 Saudi stadium projects

Top 15 Saudi stadium projects

30 August 2024

Saudi Arabia formally kicked off its World Cup participation process in October last year after announcing that it planned to bid to host the event. The announcement was a culmination of Riyadh’s football-focused strategy launched two years before when a consortium led by the kingdom’s sovereign wealth vehicle, the Public Investment Fund (PIF), completed the full acquisition of UK football club Newcastle United from St James Holdings in 2021.

The move was further solidified when Saudi Arabia was effectively confirmed as the host after Australia, the only other bidder for the tournament, withdrew from the race in October last year.

This was followed by Saudi Arabia’s official bid campaign reveal and the submission of its bid to Fifa to host the World Cup 2034 event in July. The official selection of Saudi Arabia as the 2034 host is expected to be confirmed on 11 December.

Saudi Arabia will likely invest hundreds of billions of dollars in developing the required infrastructure to host the event. Experience from previous World Cups, including the most recent one in Qatar, has shown that hosting the tournament can transform a country’s economy.

The tournament brings in fans from around the world to enjoy a month-long festival of football. After the 2022 tournament, Qatar issued a statement saying that more than 1.4 million fans had visited the country during the event.

The decision to host the Fifa World Cup 2034 is a pivotal moment for Saudi Arabia as it validates much of the social and economic change that the kingdom has embarked upon since Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman launched Vision 2030 back in 2016.

Building stadiums is the most prominent part of the bid to host the coveted Fifa World Cup.

According to the official bid book document submitted by Saudi Arabia in July, it will construct 11 new stadiums as part of its bid to host the Fifa World Cup 2034.

Eight out of the 15 stadiums are located in the capital, Riyadh, four in Jeddah and one each in Al-Khobar, Abha and Neom.

The event requires a minimum of 14 all-seater stadiums, of which at least four should be existing structures. The capacity must be at least 80,000 seats for the opening and final matches, and for the semi-finals, there must be at least 60,000 seats. For all other matches, at least 40,000 seats are needed.

The kingdom has recently ramped up its announcements regarding building new stadiums across the country in preparation to host the event.

1. King Salman Stadium

The King Salman Stadium will be the showpiece venue for the tournament. The US-based architectural firm Populous-designed stadium will cover an area of about 660,000 square metres (sq m) and have a seating capacity of over 92,000 spectators.

The stadium will host the opening and final games of the Fifa World Cup 2034 tournament. The construction of the stadium is expected to be completed by 2029.

Location: Riyadh
Companies involved: Populous
Match category: Opening and final games

2. King Fahad Sports City Stadium

The King Fahad Sports City Stadium is expected to be the venue for the semi-final. The stadium will be refurbished to increase its seating capacity from its current 58,000 seats to 70,200 seats.

The main contract bid submission process is ongoing and the project’s expansion works are expected to begin early next year. The stadium will also be a venue for the AFC Asian Cup 2027.

Location: Riyadh
Companies involved: Populous
Match category: Semi-final

3. Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Stadium, Qiddiya City

The Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Stadium will be built on top of a 200-metre-high Tuwaiq cliff located in the new sports and entertainment district of Qiddiya City.

The stadium will have a capacity to accommodate 46,979 spectators and will feature a fully combined retractable pitch, roof and LED wall. The construction works are expected to begin later this year.

Location: Riyadh
Companies involved: Qiddiya Investment Company, Populous
Match category: Third-place playoff

4. New Murabba Stadium

The New Murabba Stadium will have the capacity to accommodate 46,010 spectators and will be built as part of the New Murabba downtown project in Riyadh.

The construction of the stadium is expected to be completed by 2032.

Location: Riyadh
Companies involved: New Murabba Development Company
Match category: Round of 32

5. Roshn Stadium

The Roshn stadium will be built in the southwest of Riyadh. The planned facility will have the capacity to accommodate 46,000 spectators and will span an area of over 450,000 sq m.

Location: Riyadh
Companies involved: Roshn
Match category: Round of 32

6. Prince Faisal Bin Fahad Sports City Stadium

The Prince Faisal Bin Fahad Stadium is earmarked for an expansion that aims to increase its seating capacity from its current 22,188 seats to 46,865 seats.

The facility will also host the AFC Asian Cup in 2027.

The refurbishment works will change the geometry of the seating bowl from an athletics stadium to a football stadium.

Location: Riyadh
Companies involved: Populous
Match category: Round of 32

Saudi World Cup bid bucks global trend for sporting events

7. South Riyadh Stadium

The Populous-designed stadium will be located in southwest Riyadh close to the Wadi Namar. The stadium will have the capacity to host 47,060 spectators. It is expected to be ready by 2032.

Location: Riyadh
Companies involved: Populous
Match category: Round of 32

8. King Saud University Stadium

The King Saud University Stadium, located on the university’s campus in the west of Riyadh, is one of the venues that will undergo expansion and refurbishment to host the event.

The expansion will increase the stadium’s capacity to 46,319 spectators and the construction works are expected to be completed by 2032.

Location: Riyadh
Companies involved: Populous
Match category: Round of 32

9. King Abdullah Sports City Stadium

The King Abdullah Sports City Stadium is the home ground for the Al-Ittihad and Al-Ahli football clubs. The venue will undergo expansion works that will increase its seating capacity to 58,432 people. The stadium will host the quarter-final games.

Location: Jeddah
Companies involved: Arup
Match category: Quarter-final

10. Qiddiya Coast Stadium, Jeddah

The Populous-designed stadium will be situated at the heart of the Qiddiya Coast development in Jeddah. The multi-purpose stadium will have a 46,096 seating capacity and will be one of the venues for the round of 16 matches.

Location: Jeddah
Companies involved: Populous
Match category: Round of 16

11. Jeddah Central Stadium, Jeddah

The already under-construction football stadium is part of the Jeddah Central Project in Jeddah and has a seating capacity of 45,794 spectators. The stadium is expected to be completed by 2027.

Location: Jeddah
Companies involved: Jeddah Central Development Company, Khatib & Alami, Gerkan Marg & Partner, China Railway Construction Corporation, Sama Construction for Trading & Contracting, Geoharbour
Match category: Round of 32

12. King Abdullah Economic City Stadium, Jeddah

The planned stadium will have a seating capacity of 45,700 and will be built in the King Abdullah Economic City on the Red Sea Coast, north of Jeddah.

Location: Jeddah
Companies involved: Populous
Match category: Round of 32

13. Aramco Stadium

The Aramco Stadium in Al-Khobar is under construction and is expected to be completed by 2026. The stadium will have a capacity of 46,096 seats.

Location: Al-Khobar
Companies involved: Saudi Aramco, Roshn, Foster + Partners, Populous, Besix, Albawani, Al-Osais International Holding
Match category: Round of 16

14. King Khalid University Stadium

The stadium will undergo expansion works that will see its capacity raised to 45,428 seats. The facility is expected to be ready by 2032.

Location: Abha
Companies involved: Populous
Match category: Round of 16

15. Neom Stadium

The 46,010-seat stadium in Neom is “designed to stand out among the world’s most iconic landmarks”, according to the bid book. It is planned to be built 350 metres above ground level within The Line project at Neom.

The stadium is expected to be ready by 2032.

Location: Neom
Companies involved: Neom
Match category: Quarter-final

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Yasir Iqbal

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Jordan sets market briefing for Amman water PPP
10 April 2026

Jordan’s Ministry of Investment, through its Public-Private Partnership Unit (PPPU), has announced a public information session for the South Amman non-revenue water (NRW) reduction PPP project.

The session will be held on 15 April and is being organised in collaboration with the Ministry of Water & Irrigation and Miyahuna, according to a notice published by the PPPU.

The project covers the southern and southeastern areas of Amman and aims to reduce water losses and improve the efficiency of the capital’s distribution network.

According to the ministry, the scheme will serve about 1.4 million people across 17 zones and forms part of Jordan’s wider National Water Strategy.

The planned market briefing is intended to provide early detail on the project’s PPP structure, procurement pathway and performance-based contracting model.

It is also expected to outline the project’s risk allocation and bankability framework to prospective investors, operators and infrastructure companies.

The Ministry of Investment opened prequalification for the scheme in March.

Qualified companies and consortiums have been invited to participate in a two-stage procurement process for the performance-based contract.

The project aims to reduce NRW levels to 25% by 2040, while modernising and expanding the existing network using smart technologies and advanced leak detection systems.

The original deadline was 23 April. That has since been extended to 12 May.

Jordan is among the most water-scarce countries in the world, and losses from distribution networks are estimated to account for about 45% of water supplied.

The country is also advancing its $6bn Aqaba-Amman water desalination and conveyance project that aims to meet about 40% of Jordan’s municipal water demand by 2040.

As MEED recently reported, the project is nearing financial close. Once complete, it will supply about 300 million cubic metres of potable water a year from the Red Sea to Amman and other regions.

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Mark Dowdall
OQ allows more time for natural gas liquids project proposals
10 April 2026
Omani state energy conglomerate OQ Group has allowed contractors more time to prepare proposals for a major project to build a natural gas liquids (NGL) facility in the sultanate.

The planned NGL facility will extract condensates in Saih Nihayda in central Oman and transport those volumes to Duqm, located along the sultanate’s Arabian Sea coastline, for fractionation and export, OQ Group has said.

OQ Group intends to deliver the project using a front-end engineering and design (feed)-to-engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) competition model.

The state enterprise issued the main tender for the feed-to-EPC competition “earlier in March”, setting an initial deadline of 8 April for contractors to submit proposals, MEED previously reported. The deadline has now been extended to 6 May, according to sources.

MEED previously reported that OQ had started the prequalification process for the feed-to-EPC contest for the planned NGL project in November last year, with contractors submitting responses by 15 December.

The following contractors, among others, are understood to have been invited to participate in the feed-to-EPC contest for OQ’s planned NGL project, sources told MEED:
- Chiyoda (Japan) / CTCI (Taiwan)
- G S Engineering & Construction (South Korea)
- Hyundai Engineering & Construction (South Korea) / KBR (US)
- JGC Corporation (Japan)
- Kent (UAE)
- Petrofac (UK)
- Saipem (Italy)
- Samsung E&A (South Korea) / Larsen & Toubro Energy Hydrocarbon (India) / Wood (UAE)
- Technip Energies (France)
- Tecnicas Reunidas (Spain)
- Tecnimont (Italy)
The scope of work on the project covers the development, verification and integration of feed deliverables for the following facilities and systems:
- NGL extraction facility – Saih Nihayda:
  
  Verification and updating of the existing feed to enable dual-mode operation (ethane recovery and ethane rejection).
  
  Identification and implementation of required process, equipment, utilities, and control system modifications.
- NGL Pipeline – Saih Nihayda to Duqm:
  Feed for a new approximately 230km NGL transmission pipeline, including routing, hydraulics, stations, pigging facilities, metering, corrosion protection, leak detection, and safety systems.
- Fractionation unit at Duqm:
  
  Feed for a new fractionation facility to process ethane and propane + NGL and recover propane, butane, condensate, and provision for future ethane recovery.
  
  Design accommodating licensed or open-art technology and future tie-in to a planned petrochemical project in Duqm.
- Product pipelines, storage and export facilities at Duqm jetty:
  
  Feed for product pipelines, cryogenic and atmospheric storage tanks, vapour recovery systems, marine loading arms, and export facilities.
  
  Integration with existing port and refinery infrastructure, where feasible.
- Supporting systems and studies:
  Utilities, offsites, flare systems, safety and environmental studies, cost estimates (class 2+10%), project schedules, constructability assessments, and EPC tender documentation.
Natural gas liquids projects

Gulf national oil companies have been allocating significant capital expenditure to building or expanding NGL production facilities.

QatarEnergy, in September last year, awarded the main EPC contract for its project to add a fifth NGL train at its fractionation complex in Qatar’s Mesaieed Industrial City. The aim of the project, which is estimated to be worth $2.5bn, is to build a fifth NGL train (NGL-5) with the capacity to process up to 350 million cubic feet a day of rich associated gas from QatarEnergy’s offshore and onshore oil fields.

The main EPC contract for the QatarEnergy NGL-5 project was won by a consortium of India’s Larsen & Toubro Energy Hydrocarbons Onshore and Greece-headquartered Consolidated Contractors Group.

Separately, the gas processing business of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc Gas) has also selected the main contractor for a project to install a fifth NGL fractionation train at its Ruwais gas processing facility in Abu Dhabi.

The fifth NGL fractionation train will have an output capacity of 22,000 tonnes a day, or about 8 million tonnes a year.

The Ruwais NGL Train 5 project represents the second phase of Adnoc Gas’ ambitious Rich Gas Development (RGD) programme, and its budget value is estimated to be around $4bn, Peter Van Driel, Adnoc Gas’ chief financial officer, confirmed in February. The company expects to achieve final investment decision on the project within the first quarter of 2026, Van Driel said at the time.

ALSO READ: PDO awards Oman gas plant expansion project
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Indrajit Sen

Masdar’s move abroad will not be the last

10 April 2026

Commentary
Mark Dowdall
Power & water editor

Masdar’s new joint-venture agreement with France’s TotalEnergies will not be the last time we see regional energy investors use strong balance sheets and domestic growth to build larger positions overseas.

For Masdar in particular, the deal broadens its international exposure at a time when investors are asking questions about the Middle East’s geopolitical risk.

By combining portfolios, the two companies start with 3GW of operational capacity and another 6GW in advanced development.

The deal covers nine Asian countries, reflecting a prudent strategy that spreads capital across markets with different risk profiles and growth trajectories.

In Kazakhstan, which already includes 2.6GW of assets under development, there is clear logic behind this move.

The country is expected to see a significant increase in renewable generation over the next decade, supported by strong wind resources and the availability of large land areas for utility-scale developments.

There is also a practical advantage in partnering with TotalEnergies, which already has project delivery experience and an established presence in several of these markets.

The US-Iran ceasefire announced on 8 April has brought some respite to energy infrastructure stakeholders in the region.

For investors and developers, however, the long-term uncertainty remains. Until there is clear evidence of regime change, the removal of sanctions or lasting peace in the region, the outlook will be less clear.

With uncertainty one of the biggest killers of investor confidence, many will now be looking at this agreement and thinking whether they should also follow suit.

READ THE APRIL 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDF

Economic shock threatens long-term outlook; Riyadh adjusts to fiscal and geopolitical risk; GCC contractor ranking reflects gigaprojects slowdown.

Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the April 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:

> AGENDA: Gulf economies under fire

> GCC CONTRACTOR RANKING: Construction guard undergoes a shift

> MARKET FOCUS: Risk accelerates Saudi spending shift

> LEGAL: Redefining the region’s arbitration landscape

> QATAR LNG: Qatar’s new $8bn investment heats up global LNG race

> INTERVIEW: Leyla Abdimomunova, National Development Division, PIF

> LEADERSHIP: Shaping the future of passenger rail in the Middle East

To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here

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Mark Dowdall

Turkish firm launches Mecca villas project

10 April 2026

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Turkish real estate investment firm Emlak Konut has announced the launch of Hayat Makkah, its first development in Saudi Arabia.

The project is part of the National Housing Company’s (NHC) wider Mecca Gate masterplan.

According to the company, Hayat Makkah will feature 1,014 villas, with home sizes ranging from 150 to 5,000 square metres.

NHC and Emlak Konut signed an investment agreement worth over SR1bn ($266m) in November last year to develop the project.

The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the Cityscape Global 2025 event in Riyadh.

Ertan Keles, chairman of Emlak Konut, said the firm is in talks with stakeholders about launching a second project, while a third development is also being lined up in Jeddah.

GlobalData expects the Saudi Arabian construction industry to grow by 3.6% in real terms in 2026, supported by an increase in foreign direct investment (FDI) and investments in the housing and manufacturing sectors.

The residential construction sector is expected to grow by 3.8% in real terms in 2026 and register an average annual growth rate of 4.7% between 2027 and 2030, supported by the country’s aim – under Saudi Vision 2030 – to increase homeownership from 65.4% in 2024 to 70% by 2030, including by building 600,000 homes by 2030.

According to the General Authority for Statistics, Saudi Arabia attracted a net FDI inflow of SR72.3bn ($19.3bn) in the first nine months of 2025, an increase of 32.7% year-on-year (YoY) compared to the same period in 2024.

Similarly, the total value of real estate loans from banks grew by 11.5% YoY in 2025, preceded by an annual growth of 13.3% in 2024, according to the Saudi Central Bank (Sama).