High within The Line, Saudi Arabia had planned a 46,000-seat stadium, suspended 350 metres above ground and intended to form part of the 160 km-long NEOM development. The $2.5 billion venue has now been shelved, leaving one of the proposed stadiums for the 2034 FIFA World Cup without an end date.
Reuters reported that MEED Projects, a construction intelligence platform, had classified construction of the stadium as ‘on hold’.
The project had been designed as a centrepiece within The Line, part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's Vision 2030 economic transformation plan.
Yasir Al-Rumayyan, governor of the Public Investment Fund, which owns NEOM, said in April that The Line was no longer a priority and was not of utmost importance before 2030.
FIFA selected Saudi Arabia as host of the 2034 World Cup in December 2024. The tournament will be the first in which a single nation hosts the expanded 48-team format.
Saudi Arabia set out its venue plans in 2024, proposing 15 stadiums across five cities. Riyadh is working to build or renovate the 15 venues, while MEED Projects values the wider programme of stadium and facilities projects at $22.7 billion.
The other 14 venues and their facilities are at various stages of development, with completion expected between 2026 and 2033. The Aramco Stadium in the eastern city of Al Khobar is set for completion by the end of this year, and is scheduled to stage its first game in January, with tickets already on sale.
The NEOM pause follows another halt to a major project. Reuters reported in January that Saudi Arabia had suspended construction of The Mukaab, a colossal cube-shaped skyscraper at the centre of the New Murabba.
The NEOM Stadium remains on hold with no stated end date. Whether it will be replaced in the World Cup plan, or whether the proposed 15-venue programme will be changed, is unclear.
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