Populous' new Riyadh soccer stadium symbolizes a germinating seed emerging from the earth

2024-11-19T14:19:00-05:00

A new stadium design from Populous for what will become one of the world’s largest sporting venues, the future King Salman Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, has been unveiled ahead of the country’s turn as host of the 2034 FIFA World Cup.

Fans will have to wait until 2029 to see the full vision for the stadium and master plan realized. When it does come to fruition, the stadium design, which is to be located in one of the city’s northern precincts, will be approximately square feet and have a capacity for 92,000 people. An adjacent area with separate athletics facilities will join alongside it in the master plan, pollinating the spaces next to King Abdulaziz Park as though germinating seeds meant to represent the growth of sports within the country.

Image courtesy of Populous

Amenities inside the stadium include a Royal Box, hospitality skyboxes and lounges, 300 'VVIP' seats, and 2,200 VIP seats, plus an array of internal screens, indoor gardens, and a rooftop walking path that offers...

Saudi Arabia floats 2034 World Cup stadium 1,000+ feet up on The Line

2024-08-02T12:40:00-04:00

Saudi Arabia’s turn as host of the 2034 World Cup would include NEOM as one of its 15 host cities, according to an official bid submitted to FIFA.

Renderings describing a new 46,000-seat stadium elevated 350 meters (1,150 feet) above the ground and embedded within the superstructure of the planned The Line megacity were made public this week along with 11 other newly built constructions as part of the country’s bid marketing booklet. The 125-page document includes other details of a massive infrastructure plan and 73-strong network of proposed sports training facilities.

Image: NEOM

An architect for The Line stadium has not been named. A section drawing from the bid book (page 108) indicates that it will take up the superstructure's top levels high up in the air and be surrounded by different 'compounds' that round out the building program. Fans seated in its interior bowl will be bifurcated by hexagonal partitions while a mirrored ceiling beset with LED displays that extends from th...

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Populous' new Riyadh soccer stadium symbolizes a germinating seed emerging from the earth

Saudi Arabia floats 2034 World Cup stadium 1,000+ feet up on The Line