Business of Sport

Construction starts on Aramco football stadium in Al Khobar

September 2, 2024, 11:20 AM

King Abdullah stadium north of Jeddah, built by BESIX. The Belgian contractor has started work on the 47,000-seater in Al Khobar

One of venues for 2027 Asian Cup
Being built by BESIX and Al Bawani
Riyadh preparing for 2034 World Cup

Construction has started on the Aramco football stadium in Al Khobar, one of the venues for the 2027 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia.

Belgian construction group BESIX made the announcement on its website over the weekend, saying the goal of delivering the 47,000-seat stadium by 2026 would be “challenging”.

BESIX is working with Riyadh-based contractor Al Bawani, with the state-owned conglomerate Aramco acting as project manager.

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The stadium complex will include training pitches and an energy plant supplying power and cooling.

BESIX also built the King Abdullah stadium north of Jeddah. Al Bawani’s Saudi projects include the Grand Mosque, the King Abdullah Centre for Oncology and Liver Diseases and the Science Museum in Riyadh.

Saudi Arabia is planning to build nearly a dozen football stadiums as it prepares to host the Asian Cup in three years and the Fifa World Cup in 2034.

It is the sole bidder for the 2034 tournament and is expected to secure formal Fifa approval before the end of the year.

Saudi Arabia’s proposal for the World Cup includes 11 new stadiums and the refurbishment of four existing ones by 2032. Authorities have not published any breakdown of possible costs.

The King Salman Stadium in Riyadh, with a capacity of approximately 92,000, is slated to open in 2029, city authorities said in July.

Qatar’s hosting of the 2022 World Cup cost an estimated $220 billion, of which $10 billion was spent on stadiums alone, according to AGBI columnist Professor Simon Chadwick.

The tournament’s impact on Qatari tourism is continuing, with visitor numbers still rising quickly two years later. Doha also hosted the Asian Cup in 2023 and the U-23 Asian Cup this year.

Morocco, which is co-hosting the 2030 World Cup with Spain and Portugal, is spending about $4.4 billion on a new stadium north of Casablanca, the Grand Stade Hassan II, and the refurbishment of six other football grounds.

Authorities hope the tourism boost and infrastructure work to prepare for the tournament will provide some $1.2 billion in economic benefits, AGBI reported in August.