Saudi Arabia puts $2.5bn stadium project on hold

Saudi Arabia has quietly put on hold a $2.5 billion stadium planned as a venue for the 2034 FIFA World Cup, raising fresh questions over some of the kingdom’s ambitious development projects.

According to a Reuters report citing construction information provider MEED Projects, work on the stadium has been suspended, with the project classified as “on hold” without a completion date.

The stadium was planned as one of the futuristic sports venues for Saudi Arabia’s World Cup plans. It was to be built 350 metres above ground as part of the 160-kilometre-long NEOM project.

Saudi Arabia unveiled its 2034 World Cup venue plans in 2024, with the NEOM stadium among 15 proposed venues across five cities. MEED had reported that the stadium would have a capacity of 46,000 spectators and be built within The Line.

FIFA awarded the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia in December 2024. The 48-team tournament will be the first World Cup to be held in a single country.

The latest development has cast further uncertainty over The Line, a flagship project at the centre of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 economic transformation programme.

Yasir Al-Rumayyan, governor of the Public Investment Fund (PIF), which owns NEOM, said in April that The Line was no longer a priority and was not critical before 2030, although he stopped short of confirming that any project had been cancelled.

Saudi Arabia’s 2034 World Cup organising authority said significant implementation of tournament construction projects was already under way and provided images of other stadium projects, according to the report.