Saudi Arabia has indefinitely shelved plans to build NEOM Stadium, one of the 15 venues proposed for the 2034 FIFA World Cup.
Two sources familiar with the project told Reuters that plans for the 46,000-seat stadium have been put aside following delays and the scaling back of The Line development.
The stadium had been one of the most ambitious elements of Saudi Arabia’s World Cup bid.
Its pitch was planned more than 350 metres above ground within “The Line,” the futuristic city under development in northwestern Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia proposed the venue for matches from the group stage through to the quarter-finals. The original bid listed 2032 as its planned completion date.
However, construction industry database MEED Projects now lists NEOM Stadium as “on hold”, Reuters reported. MEED estimates the project would cost around $2.5 billion and currently gives it no completion date.
Saudi authorities have not publicly announced that NEOM Stadium has been removed from the World Cup programme.
When asked, the Ministry of Sports referred questions to the World Cup 2034 Hosting Higher Authority.
The authority said Saudi Arabia had already achieved “substantial delivery” on construction milestones. However, it did not directly address questions about NEOM Stadium or its cost.
No replacement venue has yet been publicly announced.
The development marks a significant change from the plan FIFA evaluated before awarding Saudi Arabia the tournament in December 2024.
The uncertainty follows a wider reassessment of NEOM and other major Saudi development projects.
The kingdom has increasingly shifted investment away from some costly “giga-projects” towards projects offering more immediate economic returns.
Saudi Arabia also faces growing fiscal pressure. Its finance ministry recently projected a larger deficit and a 3.6% contraction in real GDP following a decline in oil activity.
Still, Saudi Arabia plans a major construction programme ahead of the tournament.
MEED estimates the combined value of World Cup stadium and related infrastructure projects at around $22.7 billion.
As KingFut previously reported, the state-backed ROSHN Group was seeking outside investors for the Aramco stadium as Saudi Arabia looked to draw more private capital into its World Cup infrastructure programme.