King Salman Stadium in Riyadh to open in 2029

SPA

The King Salman Stadium in Riyadh – planned to be one of the world’s largest sports arenas – will be ready in the fourth quarter of 2029, as the kingdom continues its investments in the sports sector.

The stadium will serve as the Saudi national team’s main headquarters, the state-owned Saudi Press Agency reported, quoting a statement from the Royal Commission for Riyadh City and the Ministry of Sport.

Six international companies submitted design proposals and the selected design draws inspiration from the mountainous landscape. However the name of the architect and details on the construction schedule and total project cost were not disclosed.

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Covering over 660,000 sq m, King Salman Stadium and its sporting facilities will include amenities for various sports activities, including commercial centres and recreational areas.

The main stadium will have a seating capacity of 92,000, a 150-seat royal suite, 120 hospitality suites, 300 VIP seats, and 2,200 dignitary seats.

It will have sustainable cooling systems for the audience and stadium floor, indoor screens, indoor gardens, and a rooftop walking track.

Multiple surrounding sports facilities covering more than 360,000 sq m will house two training fields, fan zones, a closed sports hall, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, an athletics track, and outdoor courts for volleyball, basketball and padel tennis.

All these facilities will be interconnected by a 9-km-long sports track surrounding King Abdulaziz Park.

Saudi Arabia’s sport sector is organised into 17 sub-sectors and 88 investment tracks, covering everything from sports education to medicine and manufacturing.

It is forecast to grow from SAR30 billion ($8 billion) to SAR84 billion by 2030.