Saudi Arabia delay plans to build stadiums for World Cup 2034

The World Cup 2026 will start in a few months, and other future hosts have already begun preparing for upcoming tournaments. The World Cup 2030 will be hosted across two continents, with three matches in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first World Cup, before the main event takes place in Morocco, Portugal and Spain.

Saudi Arabia will host the World Cup in 2034, almost nine years from now. At this stage, preparations for the tournament should already be underway. The country has planned to build new stadiums, but the project could face many difficulties for several reasons.

According to The Guardian, some architecture firms that won bids to build the stadiums have been asked to resubmit their plans. The main reason is that the designs are believed to be “too expensive”. The PIF has asked them to cut costs, leading to delays in construction starting as originally planned.

The number of stadiums for the World Cup 2034 has not been officially announced. While bidding for the hosting rights, Saudi Arabia had promised to build 15 stadiums for the tournament. Now, this number could be reduced to 11 stadiums across four cities - Riyadh, Jeddah, Al Khobar and Abha - plus the Neom Stadium, part of the mega project “The Line”.

The PIF does not see the current situation as a major problem, as the host nation still has nine years to prepare. The World Cup 2034 is expected to take place in November and December, as summer temperatures in Saudi Arabia can exceed 40°C, which would be dangerous for players. As seen at Qatar 2022, Saudi Arabia could use roofing and air-conditioning systems in the stadiums.

Although there have been some setbacks, construction has already started on three of the 11 planned stadiums. However, the future of the remaining projects remains uncertain and will require more time to be clarified.