Saudi Arabia’s gigaproject developer Qiddiya Investment Company has awarded an estimated USD 1 billion deal to build the Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Stadium at the Qiddiya City project on the outskirts of Riyadh.
By Yasir Iqbal
The contract was awarded to a joint venture of Spanish firm FCC Construction and local firm Nesma & Partners.
The contract covers the construction of a multipurpose stadium on top of the 200-metre-high Tuwaiq cliff in the new sports and entertainment district of Qiddiya City.
The stadium will have a capacity of 45,000 spectators and feature a fully combined retractable pitch, roof and LED wall.
Once completed, the stadium will be the home ground for Saudi Pro League football clubs Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal.
US-based architect Populous is the project consultant.
The Mohammed Bin Salman Stadium is one of the proposed venues for the kingdom’s 2034 Fifa World Cup bid and will host events such as the Saudi King Cup, the Asian Cup and the 2034 Asian Games.
Saudi Arabia officially submitted its bid book to host the World Cup 2034 event at a ceremony hosted by Fifa in Paris, France, in July.
According to the official bid book document, a total of 15 stadiums will host the tournament.
Eight of the 15 stadiums are located in the capital, Riyadh, four in Jeddah, and one each in Al-Khobar, Abha and Neom.
The proposal also outlines an additional 10 cities that will host training bases. These include Al-Baha, Jazan, Taif, Medina, Alula, Umluj, Tabuk, Hail, Al-Ahsa and Buraidah.
The bid proposes 134 training sites across the kingdom, including 61 existing facilities and 73 new training venues.