Skip to content Skip to Search
Skip navigation

Saudi Arabia adds soccer in North America to sports portfolio

By Gavin Gibbon
USA fans cheer during a Concacaf Nations League match. The country will co-host the 2026 Fifa World Cup with two other Concacaf members, Canada and Mexico Bob Daemmrich/Alamy via Reuters
USA fans cheer during a Concacaf Nations League match. The country will co-host the 2026 Fifa World Cup with two other Concacaf members, Canada and Mexico
  • America hosts World Cup 2026
  • Youth access to football a priority
  • PIF seeks ‘positive and lasting’ impact

Saudi Arabia has added the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) to its squad of sporting investments.

The kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund has partnered with the regional governing body for soccer “to support the growth of the sport at all levels”.

The Public Investment Fund will sponsor football development initiatives, with a particular focus on youth access to the sport in all 41 Concacaf federations, it said in a statement.

Person, Electronics, Mobile Phone

Newsletter
Get the Best of AGBI delivered straight to your inbox every week

“Together, we will advance a series of initiatives to create a positive and lasting impact across all Concacaf competitions,” said Mohammed AlSayyad, head of corporate brand at PIF.

The value of the deal was not disclosed.

Saudi Aramco was the lead sponsor of the Concacaf Under-20 men’s championship, which was won earlier this month by Mexico.

Saudi Arabia has made giant strides in the sporting world as part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s ambitious Vision 2030 programme to wean the kingdom off a dependence on hydrocarbons.

Huge investments have been made across a wide spectrum including football, boxing, tennis, golf, wrestling and Formula 1, with further interest in rugby, cricket and darts.

Saudi Arabia is due to hold the football Asian Cup in 2027 and the 2029 Asian Winter Games and is the sole bidder to host the 2034 Fifa World Cup, which will be confirmed by football’s governing body in December. Speculation also surrounds a potential Saudi bid for the 2036 Olympic Games.

The Concacaf region’s major football tournaments in the coming years include the men’s and women’s Concacaf Champions Cups, the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup and the next Fifa World Cup in 2026, which will be jointly hosted by three member federations, Canada, Mexico and the United States.

Victor Montagliani, the president of Concacaf, and a Fifa vice president, said: “This is a pivotal time for PIF to connect with football in Concacaf.”

Latest articles

Saudi hotel llicences. Hajj pilgrims from Indonesia at a hotel in Mecca. Pilgrimages form a large part of Saudi Arabia's tourism goals

Saudi Arabia scraps hotel licence fees to draw investment

Saudi Arabia has removed licensing fees for hotels and resorts in a further effort to increase tourism and improve the kingdom’s investment environment.  The Ministry of Tourism and Ministry of Municipalities and Housing said they would ask hotel establishments to reapply for operating licences online. The decision applies to hotels, hotel apartments and residential resorts.  […]

Opec secretary general Haitham Al Ghais. Analysts say the body is running out of options to stabilise oil prices

Opec+ delay to output rise fails to rejuvenate oil price

The decision by Opec+ on Thursday to postpone its oil output hike until December has failed to pump up the markets, where the sentiment remains bearish.  While Opec+ still holds sway over global balances, it is running out of options to stabilise prices, analysts said, as the share price of Aramco, the world’s biggest producer, […]

Traders at the Saudi stock exchange. Fourth Milling will not receive any proceeds from the IPO, which will be distributed to the selling shareholders

Fourth Milling to launch retail IPO next month

The two-day retail tranche of the Fourth Milling Company’s (MC4) initial public offering (IPO) will begin on October 2. The company will sell 162 million shares, or 30 percent of its share capital, on the Saudi stock exchange, it said in its prospectus. The price range announcement and institutional book building will commence on September […]

A woman at a supermarket in Cairo. Egypt's annual headline and core inflation fell for the fifth consecutive month

Egypt holds key policy rates steady as inflation eases

Egypt’s central bank left its key policy rates unchanged as inflation continued to subside amid softening growth. The lending and deposit rates were kept intact at 28.25 percent and 27.25 percent. Inflationary pressure has continued to subside with the gradual easing of previous shocks, the central bank said in a statement. Annual headline and core […]