Saudi Arabia unveil plans for high-tech 45,000-seater stadium

Saudi Arabia has announced plans for a brand new modern stadium that is set to be built within an hour’s drive of the capital, Riyadh. Saudi Arabia are set to host the 2034 World Cup, after Australia dropped out of the running leaving the kingdom the final name in the hat to host football’s greatest competition in 10 years.

It comes as Saudi Arabia continues a bid to become one of the sporting capitals of the world , following heavy investments in golf, football and boxing, among other sports. The last 12 months has seen particularly heavy investment into the country’s football scene, with the Saudi Pro League notably become a major player in the transfer market.

The likes of Neymar Jnr, Karim Benzema , Sadio Mane , Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, N’Golo Kante and Roberto Firmino to name just a few have followed Cristiano Ronaldo to Saudi Arabia in the past 12 months.

Now the Gulf state has unveiled elaborate plans for a brand new 45,000-seater stadium that is set to host matches at the World Cup in 10 years’ time, although the official confirmation of their host status is yet to be confirmed despite running unopposed.

It will be named the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Stadium for the Kingdom’s crown prince, and features plans for a retractable roof and pitch all on top of a 200m-high cliff 40 minutes from Riyadh. Part of the ultra-modern plans also include a giant LED wall that features hundreds of meters of screens that will open out onto views below the ground.

‘The futuristic venue aims to reinvent the traditional stadium concept,’ said the Qiddiya Investment Company in a statement. The stadium’s architects, Populous, already have an impressive CV, having worked on several Olympic Stadiums as well as the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The north London arena is notable for its pitch that is custom-built to also host NFL matches, and is considered among the leading stadia in the country. QIC is owned by the Public Investment Fund – who have also invested in LIV Golf and Newcastle United in the Premier League – who manage around £554.6 billion ($700 billion) in Saudi Arabian sovereign wealth.

The new ground is also set to become the home turf for Riyadh-based clubs Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal once constructed. While Saudi Arabia’s human rights record has raised a number of eyebrows, there are also environmental issues that naturally accompany such an ambitious building project. As such, the QIC announced that a man-made lake is set to be built underneath the stadium itself.

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