Most of the projects and investments planned in this framework are financed by state institutions such as the Public Investment Fund and the oil company Aramco, said Basim Ibrahim, head of the sports sector investment development directorate at the ministry. Government support for sports investments will continue, with the injection of no less than 60 billion rials per year ($16 billion), Mr. Ibrahim said.
Saudi Arabia was officially designated last Wednesday by FIFA as the host country of the 2034 World Cup, making it the first country in the history of the World Cup to organize a 48-team tournament on its own.
To meet the challenges of organizing a competition of this size, the kingdom has committed to building 11 new stadiums where the matches will be played with a capacity of more than 775 thousand seats, including 8 stadiums at Riyadh, 4 in Jeddah and three others spread between Al Khubar, Abha and Neom. The King Salman Stadium, whose work will be launched in 2025 and completed in 2029, is the flagship of these new sports facilities. This mega-stadium, where the opening matches and the final will be played, will be able to accommodate up to 92 thousand people.
In addition to stadiums and training facilities, the country is working to strengthen its tourism offering to accommodate a record flow of supporters, through the creation of more than 232,000 hotel units compliant with FIFA standards in the five host cities, i.e. some 175 thousand additional beds.
Morocco
