The decision by FIFA (International Football Federation) to award Saudi Arabia the 2034 World Cup began the countdown to a huge logistical undertaking to build the necessary infrastructure to welcome football fans from all over the world.
With eight new stadiums, including a futuristic cliff-top venue planned, the World Cup has become the latest major infrastructure project for the kingdom as it invests heavily to become a global sporting hub. The country will host the Asian Football Cup in 2027 and the Asian Winter Games in 2029.
The demands come on top of several major projects that are part of Vision 2030, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s plan to reduce the economy’s dependence on oil revenues.
Despite the bold vision, Saudi officials acknowledge that they have recalibrated some plans as they assess the kingdom’s ability to complete projects on time.
“You want to showcase the country and make sure everything is ready at the time of these events,” Finance Minister Mohammed al-Jadaan said of the state budget. “We take this into account to ensure that what we have planned in terms of new stadiums and connectivity is ready for 2034.”
With some projects part of Riyadh’s existing sporting and tourism ambitions, he added: “It’s not an event that really puts additional pressure on the fiscal plan. It’s part of the total plan that existed.”
The ten-year deadline adds an element of fiscal unpredictability due to the continued importance of crude oil prices to the kingdom’s finances, experts said.
“A scenario with consistently low oil revenue, in which financing key infrastructure becomes difficult, is imaginable but not the most likely outcome,” said Steffen Hertog, associate professor at the London School of Economics, who added that “spending related to the World Cup will be prioritized” over other projects, given the reputational risk of not delivering work for the tournament on time.
Saudi Arabia has launched real estate and infrastructure projects worth US$1.3 trillion (R$8 trillion) since Vision 2030 was revealed in 2016, according to estimates from consultancy Knight Frank. These projects, such as the Neom linear smart city, include the addition of more than 362,000 hotel rooms and 7.4 million square meters of shopping centers.
Football has become one of Prince Mohammed’s main sporting investment targets. The country’s sovereign wealth fund acquired Premier League side Newcastle United, while superstars such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar were lured to play in the Saudi League.
Saudi Arabia’s bid stated that the 48-team World Cup would be played in 15 stadiums in five cities. Eight stadiums would be in or near Riyadh, which is already experiencing a construction boom that includes a western entertainment zone and a major expansion of the capital’s airport.
Human rights groups have already raised a number of concerns about the World Cup as the construction program gets underway, including the rights and welfare of the kingdom’s construction workers.
“Today, there is no shortage of evidence of migrant workers being exploited and subjected to racism, activists sentenced to decades in prison for expressing themselves peacefully, women and LGBTI people facing legalized discrimination, or residents forcibly evicted to make way for state projects,” said one joint statement from rights organisations, trade unions, fan groups and organizations representing migrant workers.
FIFA has also faced criticism for allowing the kingdom’s proposal to be tabled unopposed, despite promises to increase transparency over how the World Cup is awarded.
But Saudi officials dismissed both criticisms, arguing they presented a strong proposal that would have stood up to competition. FIFA’s technical assessment, meanwhile, said the tournament could serve as a “catalyst” to deliver “positive human rights outcomes” in Saudi Arabia.
Other concerns include whether Riyadh will lift its alcohol ban in time for the event and the prospect of another winter tournament like the 2022 edition in Qatar, given the desert kingdom’s extreme temperatures. The schedule would also need to consider the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan and the pilgrimage to Mecca.
Activists also worry about environmental costs, pointing to the limited reuse of some stadiums and other infrastructure in Qatar.
Back in Riyadh, after the Saudi proposal was endorsed by “acclamation” or a round of applause at an online FIFA event, thousands of fans celebrated in dozens of venues set up by authorities to mark the occasion.
Football fans in the kingdom believe their passion for the sport has been rewarded. In 2022, tens of thousands of them regularly crossed into Qatar to watch World Cup matches. One man told state television he felt “hysterical joy” upon learning Saudi Arabia would host 2034.
Recognizing the new challenge the kingdom has set itself, Sports Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki al-Faisal promised to deliver an “exceptional and unprecedented edition of the tournament”.
“It’s a day when we invite the whole world to Saudi Arabia.”
