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.

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 panoramic views of the surrounding park. 

Populous’ Senior Principal and Lead Architect for the project, Mark Craine, stated that the firm "brought the full weight of its 40 years of global expertise in stadium design to bear on this ambitious project."

It joins other recent headline-grabbing stadium designs in the country, including the cubic cliffside assembly Prince Mohammed bin Salman Stadium at Qiddiya City and a new esports arena in Riyadh. Two others—the renovated King Fahad International Stadium and new Aramco Stadium—will join the 15-strong official World Cup contingent by 2026.

Craine’s colleague Shireen Hamdan describes the project: "Beyond creating advanced sports facilities, the development aims to unite athleticism and the environment, inspiring all who engage with it. To achieve this, the design teams have drawn direct inspiration from nature’s patterns and elements. The design philosophy reflects a commitment to cutting-edge infrastructure while paying tribute to the intrinsic connection between sustainable development, human activity and the natural world."

The Saudi capital is also reportedly planning a 1.2-mile-tall skyscraper designed by Foster + Partners and has begun construction on the Mukaab Tower, which would set records as the new world's largest building upon completion in 2030.