Saudi Arabia’s controversial desert megacity project will include a soccer stadium built nearly 1,150-feet above the ground—at least, that’s what it is pitching as part of hosting the 2034 FIFA men’s World Cup. The ambitious plans for not just Neom Stadium, but 10 additional soccer arenas through the kingdom, are detailed in the nation’s official “bid book” made public on July 31. And considering Saudi Arabia was the only country to submit a bid by FIFA’s October 2023 deadline, it’s likely at least something resembling the 46,000-person capacity structure will be completed as part of the futuristic cityscape’s initial 1.5-mile segment by then. But how the stadium will be constructed, and who will be potentially harmed in the process, remains to be seen.
First unveiled in 2017, Neom was originally pitched as a linear, eco-friendly smart city stretching 106-miles across the country’s northeastern Tabuk province near the Red Sea. The unprecedented design renderings depicted a carless metropolis nicknamed “The Line” entirely encased by towering, external mirrored skyscrapers featuring community spaces, a high-speed rail line, and a floating, artificial industrial complex island. Almost immediately, however, reports mounted about cost estimates soaring to $1.5 trillion, construction delays, resource waste, and most troubling of all, the deadly, forced expulsion of local Howeitat tribal villagers. Although Saudi Arabia stated intentions for Neom to house 1.5 million people by 2030, it is now expected to host 300,000 residents within a 1.5-mile segment by then. The Saudi Royal Crown, meanwhile, repeatedly denies allegations of human rights abuses, as well as rumors of its massively scaled back plans for Neom.
As part of their rebuttal, the nation’s ongoing bid to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup now features a Neom Stadium front and center in its concept art. Renderings reveal what the nation describes as “one of the most distinctive, and iconic stadiums in the world… situated within THE LINE [sic].” Neom Stadium will reportedly be located over 350-meters (1,149-feet) above ground and run entirely on renewable energy from mostly wind and solar power. As The Verge pointed out on August 1, the stadium’s LED-lit roof resembles “fractured pieces” that create a mirror above visitors to the “beehive-like setup.” This polygonal theme extends to concept art of the stadium interior, with spectator stands divided into similarly angular sections underneath what looks like an inverted city of mirrored screens.
Neom Stadium is far from the only proposed venue to be constructed if Saudi Arabia gets its way. Each of the 10 other potential sports spaces located across Riyadh, Jeddah, Al Khobar, Abha, and Neom resemble something out of Blade Runner or Dune—from Prince Mohammed bin Salman Stadium’s technicolor monolithic complex, to New Murabba Stadium’s desert-inspired architecture.
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But what any of these stadiums will ultimately look like is anyone’s guess, but given the ongoing Neom woes, it’s probably best to take these visuals with a grain of salt. On top of this, these projects do little to ease concerns of sportswashing, a term referring to authoritarian governments leveraging major sporting events to gain international attention and favor.