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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Seven seeks contractors for Dammam water park and hotel
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21 July 2026
Contractors await decision on Riyadh airport sewage plant
21 July 2026
Dubai Municipality awards Tasreef drainage contract
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Seven seeks contractors for Dammam water park and hotel
21 July 2026

Saudi Entertainment Ventures (Seven), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Public Investment Fund, is preparing to shortlist general contractors for the main construction package of its Dammam Water Park & Hotel project in the Al-Hamra district.

The waterfront development sits on a 324,300-square-metre (sq m) plot.

A notice was issued to contractors in July, and the client is expected to finalise the shortlist by the end of this month.

Seven is seeking firms capable of delivering a lump-sum, turnkey solution for both the water park and a 321-key lifestyle hotel. Construction is expected to take 24 months from contract award.

The water park is designed around five themed zones and will feature what is billed as the world’s first double-tornado/triple-wave waterslide.

The park will include 21 major rides and attractions, 21 food and beverage outlets, 66 cabanas, parking for 1,100 vehicles and a daily peak capacity of 4,500 guests.

Slide procurement has already been completed directly by Seven. The selected contractor will be responsible for locally sourcing slide towers, integrating them with rockwork and secondary steel, and installing the units.

Detailed design and issued-for-construction packages are complete.

Marine works, piling, dewatering and site utilities are being progressed separately by the existing early works contractor.

The hotel component covers roughly 31,700 sq m of gross floor area and will offer 321 guest rooms, four F&B outlets, spa and wellness facilities, a family pool, and meeting, incentive, conference and exhibition space.

The new contractor’s scope includes superstructure concrete works, façade and roof works, mechanical, electrical and plumbing, interior fit-out and landscaping.

Seven will consider only contractors with demonstrated experience delivering water parks with complex aquatics, theming and rockwork – either directly or through clearly defined subcontractor partnerships – along with a track record in high-end turnkey hotel fit-outs.

Construction of Seven’s Dammam entertainment complex is currently under way. In October 2023, Saudi Binladin Group won contracts worth around SR5bn ($1.3bn) from Seven to build two entertainment destinations in the Dammam and Al-Khobar areas of the Kingdom’s Eastern Province.

The Al-Khobar entertainment complex is being built on reclaimed waterfront land. The complex spans around 300,000 sq m and is also known as ‘The Waves’.

The Dammam entertainment complex spans 360,000 sq m and is being built on reclaimed land on the Dammam waterfront.

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Yasir Iqbal
Al-Ula appoints equestrian village early works contractor
21 July 2026

Saudi Arabia’s Royal Commission for Al-Ula (RCU) has awarded a contract for early construction works at the Al-Muatadil Equestrian Village.

The contract was awarded to Al-Khobar-based Al-Shalawi International Company.

Canadian engineering firm AtkinsRealis is the project management consultant. UK-headquartered Baker Wilkins & Smith and local firm Al-Hoty Company are the cost consultants.

Dubai-based SSH is the supervision consultant, and UK-based Hopkins Architects is the lead design consultant.

RCU announced the project plans in March 2023, including the development of an equestrian hub with two arenas that can accommodate 5,000 and 1,400 spectators, respectively.

The venue will also include grass polo, sand polo and endurance facilities, with capacities of 600, 400 and 600 seats, respectively.

These facilities will be complemented by visitor amenities, two stable compounds with capacity for 740 horses, and accommodation and retail outlets for event participants and workers.

https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/17710170/main.jpeg

Yasir Iqbal
Contractors await decision on Riyadh airport sewage plant
21 July 2026
Seven contractors are awaiting a decision on a contract to build a sewage treatment plant at the King Salman International airport (KSIA) development in Riyadh, according to sources.

It is understood that bids were submitted to King Salman International Airport Development Company (KSIADC) in March, following the tender’s release earlier this year.

The plant will treat wastewater generated by the airport and surrounding developments, including passenger terminals, runways, residential districts, commercial facilities and logistics areas.

The facility will have a treatment capacity of 92,000 cubic metres a day. The contract is estimated to be worth SR700m ($187m).

The bidders (all local) are:
- Al-Rawaf Trading & Contracting
- Almajal Alarabi
- Nesma Water & Energy
- Safari Company
- Saudi Services for Electro-Mechanic Works
- Washnah Contracting
- Water & Environment Technologies (Wetico)
The project scope includes the construction of the treatment plant, the installation of preliminary, secondary and tertiary treatment systems, sewage collection and conveyance pipelines, pumping stations, and electrical and control systems.

US-headquartered Jacobs is acting as the main project consultant. Commercial operations for the plant are scheduled for 2029.

The sewage treatment plant is one of several water infrastructure packages planned for the airport. KSIADC is also evaluating bids for a separate $30m engineering, procurement and construction contract covering potable water and fire water tanks and an associated pumping station. The same seven companies have submitted bids for that package.

Earlier in July, MEED exclusively reported that a joint venture of Beijing-headquartered China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation and Dammam-based Mofarreh AlHarbi & Partners had won a deal to undertake the enabling and substructure works for Terminal 6 at KSIA.

The latest development followed KSIADC’s receipt of prequalification statements from contractors on 1 July for two new packages at KSIA.

These include the construction of a permanent East-West corridor and landside access roads serving the North and South terminals.
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Mark Dowdall
Dubai Municipality awards Tasreef drainage contract
21 July 2026

Dubai Municipality has awarded local firm Detech Contracting the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for the TF-15-C1 package of its Tasreef Rainwater Drainage Network programme.

It is understood the municipality issued the letter of award for the contract earlier this month, covering the construction of a stormwater drainage system along Al-Wasl Road and communities west of the Dubai Canal.

The project includes the construction of a gravity-based stormwater pipeline network with diameters of up to 3.5 metres. It is estimated to cost $100m.

It was tendered in February through the government’s Sewerage and Recycled Water Projects Department, with bids submitted in April.

The package forms part of the wider Tasreef initiative, which is intended to improve Dubai’s flood resilience.

The TF-15-C2 package was recently awarded to China State Construction Engineering Corporation for a stormwater drainage network project located along Umm Suqeim Road in the Al-Barsha and Al-Quoz areas of Dubai.

The project is estimated to cost $162m and includes the construction of about 20 kilometres of new stormwater pipelines. Similar to the C1 package, it is located west of the Dubai Canal and will connect the Al-Quoz 3 and Al-Quoz 4 industrial areas with Al-Quoz 1.

Separately, Al-Kharafi has won a drainage EPC contract (Ds207) to upgrade an existing pumping station for the municipality, a source said. The package focuses mainly on mechanical works and is valued at about $39m.

In May, MEED reported that local firm Nael Construction & Contracting had signed a contract with Dubai Municipality to build a sewage and stormwater drainage system in Dubailand.

The project (DS-204-C1) involves the construction of a drainage system with sewage gravity pipelines of up to 2,200mm in diameter.

https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/17707980/main.jpg

Mark Dowdall
Qatari Diar unveils $30bn Egypt project masterplan
21 July 2026

Qatari Diar, the real estate arm of the Qatar Investment Authority, has announced the masterplan for its $30bn Alam Al-Roum project on Egypt’s north coast.

The masterplan was developed by US-based architectural firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.

The master-planning team also includes US-based landscape architecture firm SWA; UK-headquartered marina design and operations consultant Marina Projects; and French transport and traffic engineering consultant Setec.

The development will cover more than 20 million square metres and include 7.2 kilometres of private beachfront on the Mediterranean Sea.

The site is about 20 minutes from Marsa Matrouh and 50 minutes from Ras El-Hekma.

According to a statement, the project includes $3.5bn in direct cash investment and is designed as an integrated, year-round Mediterranean destination.

Alam Al-Roum expands Qatari Diar Egypt’s portfolio, which includes CityGate, New Giza and The St Regis Cairo.

Qatari Diar and Egypt’s New Urban Communities Authority signed the project agreement for Alam Al-Roum in November 2025.

The estimated value of the deal to Egypt is $7.5bn. Under the agreement, Cairo will receive an upfront payment of $3.5bn by late December 2025 for the initial land purchase and is expected to receive an in-kind stake in the project, estimated to be worth $1.8bn.

Qatari Diar’s broader investment plans for the area include spending up to $26.2bn in addition to the $3.5bn already allocated for the land purchase.

https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/17707658/main.jpg

Yasir Iqbal