Saudi Arabia is making headlines once again, but this time not for oil or for luxury tourism, but for its sky-high ambitions in sports architecture. The country, which is set to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup, has unveiled plans for a one-of-a-kind ‘Stadium in the Sky’, a stadium built 350 meters above the desert as part of its ‘NEOM megacity project.
Is Saudi Arabia actually making a stadium in the air?
The World Cup is hardly about football anymore. It all comes down to symbolism, representation, and marketing the desert. According to reports, the ‘NEOM Stadium’ will be integrated into The Line, a vertical smart city spanning more than 170 kilometers across the Saudi desert. Hundreds of meters above ground, the stadium is designed to provide panoramic desert views and an experience unlike anything in sports history. Supposedly seating around 46,000 fans, the stadium will rely on independent transportation and high-speed elevators for easy access. The organisers claimed the stadium will run entirely on renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power, aligning with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 sustainability goals. Construction is most likely to start in 2027 and be completed by 2032, just two years before the World Cup.
