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Football – Saudi Arabia’s 2034 World Cup bid received a higher technical score from Fifa than the 2026 joint bid by the US, Canada and Mexico even though the kingdom has yet to construct several stadiums proposed for the tournament.
Fifa released its bid evaluation report and said the 2034 bid received an overall average score of 4.2 out of 5 even though eight stadiums are still to be built.
All venues – including the planned 92,760-seater King Salman International Stadium in Riyadh – will not be completed until 2032 but three new stadiums are expected to be finished for the Asian Cup which kicks off in January 2027.
Meanwhile, the 2026 bid scored 4.0 having initially proposed 23 stadiums – all of which were already built. Eventually, 16 host cities for the 2026 World Cup were announced, with many venues being existing NFL stadiums.
“The (Saudi) bid includes some ambitious stadium projects integrated into unique locations, including the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Stadium located within the Qiddiya development and NEOM Stadium located within ‘The Line’ development,” Fifa’s report said.
Fifa added that although Saudi Arabia’s “one-of-a-kind” stadium projects have a lot of potential, the “proposed configuration and location” would “require a reimagining of operations, with some associated unknowns or challenges at this moment in time”.
NEOM, a Red Sea urban and industrial development nearly the size of Belgium due to house nearly nine million people, is central to the prince’s Vision 2030 plan to create new engines of economic growth beyond oil.
“Consequently, should the bid be successful, it would be imperative to closely monitor and support these projects from initiation to completion,” Fifa added.
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