Saudi Arabia has quietly shelved plans for its futuristic NEOM Stadium, a proposed 46,000-seat venue that was set to become one of the most spectacular stadiums in the world ahead of the 2034 FIFA World Cup. According to Reuters, two sources familiar with the project said the stadium has been put on hold indefinitely following delays and the scaling back of the wider NEOM development. The report comes after RMC Sport reported that Saudi Arabia could abandon the project amid spending cuts and mounting delays.
The proposed stadium was designed to form part of The Line, Saudi Arabia’s ambitious 160-kilometre futuristic city project. Its pitch was planned to sit more than 350 metres above ground, with the stadium integrated into the structure of the city itself. Saudi Arabia’s official 2034 World Cup bid described it as a unique venue that would host matches from the group stage through the quarter-finals.
The official Saudi 2034 bid listed the NEOM Stadium with a capacity of more than 46,000 spectators and proposed it as one of 15 venues across five host cities. The bid envisaged the stadium becoming the home of a professional football club and a centrepiece of NEOM’s sporting programme after the World Cup.
The venue was also expected to carry a huge price tag. MEED Projects, a construction-industry intelligence platform, estimates its projected cost at $2.5 billion and currently lists the project as “on hold” with no completion date. Reuters reported that the wider portfolio of stadium projects associated with Saudi Arabia’s 2034 World Cup is valued at about $22.7 billion.
The uncertainty surrounding the stadium is closely linked to changes affecting The Line. NEOM’s Public Investment Fund governor, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, said in April that The Line was no longer a priority and did not need to meet its original 2030 target, although he denied that projects had been cancelled at the time. (
The latest development therefore represents a significant shift from Saudi Arabia’s original World Cup vision. The kingdom’s official bid presented NEOM as one of five host cities and promoted the elevated stadium as a signature symbol of the country’s futuristic infrastructure ambitions.
Saudi authorities have not formally announced the cancellation of the NEOM Stadium. NEOM and the Saudi government’s media office did not respond to Reuters’ requests for comment, while the 2034 World Cup Hosting Higher Authority said substantial construction milestones were already being delivered but did not directly address the status or cost of the NEOM venue.
The development does not currently appear to threaten Saudi Arabia’s overall preparations for the tournament. The kingdom is developing or renovating 15 stadiums across five cities, with other venues continuing to progress. The Aramco Stadium in Al Khobar, for example, is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.
FIFA awarded Saudi Arabia the right to host the 2034 World Cup on December 11, 2024. The tournament will be the first 48-team World Cup staged entirely in a single country. FIFA’s current documentation continues to reference Saudi Arabia’s 2034 hosting plans, while the Saudi bid documentation still identifies NEOM Stadium as a proposed venue.
For now, the fate of the extraordinary “sky stadium” remains uncertain. But with the project listed as on hold, no completion date attached to it and The Line itself undergoing a major reassessment, the spectacular 350-metre-high venue appears increasingly unlikely to be delivered in its original form for the 2034 World Cup.