The NEOM stadium World Cup venue, a proposed 2034 FIFA World Cup stadium elevated 350 metres above the ground, has been shelved indefinitely, with construction intelligence platform Middle East Eye reporting that MEED Projects has classified the $2.5bn project as “on hold” with no end date. News agency Reuters first reported the shelving, citing two sources, with construction database MEED also confirming the project’s status.
Visuals of the stadium, which was earmarked for group stage matches and the quarter-finals of the 2034 World Cup, were unveiled in August 2024 as part of Saudi Arabia’s bid. London-based stadium specialist Populous was understood to be working on the concept at the time of the shelving, having taken on the project after Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) delivered an earlier design.
Feasibility Review Signals Deeper Retreat from The Line
The decision to shelve the NEOM stadium World Cup project sits within a broader withdrawal from NEOM’s most ambitious schemes. According to Dezeen, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund asked consultants to conduct a feasibility review on The Line in 2025, a move that appeared to signal the end of vast spending on the project. The Line was once conceived as a 170km-long city for 9 million people; it has since been subject to well-documented delays and significant downsizing.
The NEOM stadium was intended to form part of phase one of The Line, known as the Hidden Marina, an initial 2.3km-long section earmarked for completion by 2030. The Hidden Marina was originally designed by Austrian practice Delugan Meissl Associated Architects (DMAA) and UK engineering and consultancy giant Mott MacDonald, before Gensler’s London office was named in late 2024 as lead of detailed designs. It remains unclear whether Populous, BIG, DMAA, Gensler and Mott MacDonald are still working on the Hidden Marina.
The retreat extends beyond the stadium. The Trojena mountain ski resort, designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, is no longer set to host the 2029 Asian Winter Games, Dezeen has reported, and the Financial Times reported in January that Trojena was being dramatically scaled back. Saudi Arabia appears to be reprioritising other Vision 2030 schemes amid economic pressures, pivoting resources towards AI and data centres instead.
NEOM Stadium World Cup Loss Leaves 14 Venues Remaining
The NEOM stadium was one of 11 proposed new-build venues for the 2034 FIFA World Cup, which football’s world governing body controversially awarded to Saudi Arabia in December 2024, with Saudi Arabia the sole candidate to host the tournament. Its removal leaves the tournament’s stadium programme under pressure, with the overall 15-stadium plan including just four refurbished venues.
Populous remains central to the broader Saudi 2034 stadium effort. The practice is behind at least four other stadiums in the bid, including the 92,000-seat King Salman Stadium in Riyadh, set to host the tournament final and positioned next to a new Foster + Partners airport. Populous is also involved with the King Fahad Stadium in Riyadh, the under-construction Dammam Aramco Stadium, due to be used in the 2027 Asian Cup, and the Qiddiya stadium outside Riyadh. The concept for the Dammam stadium was drawn up by Foster + Partners, which also worked with Populous on the Lusail stadium in Qatar, host of the 2022 World Cup final.
Other British practices hold positions across the tournament infrastructure. Manchester-based AFL Architects said in late 2024 it had been commissioned to design the 47,500-capacity King Abdullah Economic City Stadium in Jeddah. Arup is understood to be working on the planned New Murabba Stadium, a 46,000-seat arena north-west of central Riyadh set to host group and second-round games, and is also refurbishing the 58,400-seat King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, earmarked for quarter-final matches.
The human and environmental context of the Saudi 2034 bid continues to draw scrutiny. Seven new stadiums were built for the 2022 Qatar World Cup, a tournament criticised for underplaying its environmental impact and for the deaths and poor treatment of workers. A Guardian report in 2021 put the number of deaths of migrant workers from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka at 6,500, far exceeding the three deaths admitted to by Qatari officials. Saudi Arabia’s 2034 bid described the tournament as an ‘opportunity to showcase the country’s commitment to environmental sustainability.’ Populous declined to comment on the NEOM stadium World Cup project’s suspension. With the Public Investment Fund’s feasibility review of NEOM now under way, the scope of what remains viable within the wider development is subject to ongoing reassessment.
