A consortium comprised of Spanish company FCC Construcción and local firm Nesma & Partners has landed the contract to develop Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Stadium as part of the Qiddiya project in Saudi Arabia, according to multiple reports.
The contract awarded by Qiddiya Investment Company (QIC), first reported by MEED, will be worth SR4bn (£815.12m/€972.34m/$1.07bn) to construct the multi-purpose stadium that will be perched on top of the 200-metre-high Tuwaiq cliff in the new sports and entertainment district of Qiddiya City.
Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Stadium is one of Saudi Arabia’s proposed venues for its 2034 FIFA World Cup bid, with Populous in January stating it represents a “quantum leap” in stadium design.
The Board of Directors of QIC earlier revealed the vision for the multi-use venue, with Populous, which is designing the stadium, granting further insight into how it will appear.
Located 40 minutes from Riyadh, the venue aims to revolutionise the traditional stadium experience with its immersive design and unique technological features. The 45,000-seat stadium will be fully compliant with FIFA requirements for club and international football and, once open, will serve as the home ground of Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr. QIC reached an agreement for the Riyadh-based Pro League clubs to play at the proposed stadium back in February 2022.
Along with being one of the proposed venues for Saudi Arabia’s World Cup bid, QIC has said the stadium could also be used during Riyadh’s staging of the 2034 Asian Games. Saudi Arabia will also host football’s Asian Cup in 2027 and Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Stadium has been included as one of the proposed venues for the tournament.
FIFA in July published the official bid books for the 2030 and 2034 World Cups, with Saudi Arabia’s ambitious proposals for the latter tournament featuring 11 new stadiums and no fewer than eight venues in the capital city of Riyadh.
The 2034 World Cup has been proposed to take place in just five cities, with the bid book promising a “compact” tournament concept. A total of 15 venues will be used for the 48-team tournament.
