Whoa Nelli?!?!
Yes — A new stadium that will sit about 1,200 feet above the ground is being proposed in Saudi Arabia’s for the 2034 FIFA World Cup. Construction of the 46,000-seat NEOM Stadium is expected to start next year with a targeted completion in 2032.
How high is 1,200 feet? Well, the Empire State Building is 1,250 feet.
So, it’ll be a stadium that sits atop a skyscraper?
Not quite. ESPN reported that the vertical city concept is actually the basis for the megastructure stadium; they did not state that it was simply going to be a rooftop arena. This distinction is important, since the megastructure design is where the “350 meters high” aspect comes from; it does not relate to any standard hilltop or tower top stadium.
Should it come to fruition, NOEM Stadium would have massive landmark value and would instantly become a global icon and a tourist magnet. Moreover, fans would get an unusually extraordinary skyline or desert view, which would add to the spectacle. Lastly, it would preserve ground space for housing, transit, retail, or parks.
But, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Saudi planning authorities have as yet revealed only a few official details about the stadium, and some workers at firms associated with NEOM’s construction have expressed uncertainty that the project will be completed as planned.
Human rights concerns
The construction of The Line has been met with substantial concern by human rights organizations. As NEOM Stadium is tightly associated with both construction of The Line and the 2034 FIFA World Cup bid, a range of human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and expert consultants at the United Nations Human Rights Council, have lodged complaints about human rights abuse in these projects. A 2024 documentary on conditions within the NEOM worksite revealed that the largely migrant workers are expected to work “way beyond what the international minimum standards permit”.
@tsn Can you imagine watching a soccer match 1,000 feet in the air? 😳⚽️ Set more than 350 metres above ground and integrated into the roof of the futuristic city THE LINE in NEOM, the new NEOM Stadium will seat around 46,000 fans and run entirely on renewable energy. Construction is slated to begin in 2027 and conclude in 2032, ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2034, where it will host matches from the group stage through to the quarter-finals. (via ImpactMediaFR)
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