Over the past few days, videos and renderings have been circulating on social media showing a stadium perched atop a futuristic skyscraper, suspended above a desert megalopolis crisscrossed by illuminated highways. According to these images and the numerous articles published about them, the structure would be the Neom Stadium, the arena designed for the namesake Saudi city located north of the Red Sea and east of Egypt, which will host the 2034 FIFA World Cup. These visuals, however, have proven to be unfounded in the official plans — yet the project described in the Saudi Arabia FIFA World Cup 2034 Bid Book remains innovative, ambitious, and one of a kind.
Developed within the framework of Saudi Vision 2030 — the Saudi Arabia's long-term plan for sustainable infrastructure development — the Neom Stadium represents the flagship project of The Line, a 500-meter-high linear city powered entirely by renewable energy and organized on five levels, designed to host nine million residents in vertical neighborhoods spread across just 34 square kilometers.
The stadium will be embedded into the city’s structure and positioned 350 meters above sea level, offering panoramic views of the Red Sea coast and accommodating 46,000 spectators, who will enjoy two giant indoor screens and a 4K Ultra HD broadcast system. Like The Line, the entire complex will be powered exclusively by renewable energy — generated from wind and solar sources — and accessible either on foot within minutes or via electric transportation, consistent with the city’s pedestrian-first urban philosophy.
Details of the design have not yet been disclosed, nor have the names of the architects involved. Construction is expected to begin in 2027 and be completed by 2032, within the district dedicated to health and physical well-being, near Neom’s university campus.
There is still no precise cost estimate — projected to be around one billion dollars — and many questions remain, both ethical and strategic. The only certainty is that, beyond hosting the FIFA World Cup quarter-finals, the Neom Stadium will become a permanent landmark for the community, hosting professional men’s and women’s clubs, cultural events, and concerts.
Opening image: One of the renderings of Neom Stadium circulated online, which later turned out not to refer to an actual approved project