Saudi Arabia's World Cup Bid Reveals New Plans for Hotels, Stadiums, Airports

02.08.2024 - 07:49 / skift.com / Alan Woinski / Josh Corder

Saudi Arabia has submitted its bid to host the men’s football World Cup in 2034, and for the first time has laid out goals for development of hotels, stadiums, and other parts of its travel economy.

Saudi’s 245-page “bid book” calls for tens of thousands of additional hotel rooms, 11 new stadiums, and cities built from the ground up.

For now, these are ambitious goals, and a lot of work and investment will be required to deliver on them. Projects that were part of crown prince Mohammed bin Salman’s 2030 Vision have not had clear timelines and there have been reports of delays.

Saudi proposes that it would host the event across Riyadh, Neom, Jeddah, Al Khobar and Abha. The opening match and the final would take place in Riyadh.

FIFA also has new rules around human rights and worker safety, related to the construction of stadiums, hotels, and airports. These grew out of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where migrant workers died due to unsafe working conditions. Saudi’s bid book devotes 15 pages to sustainability and human rights.

The bid book does not mention alcohol, which is banned in Saudi Arabia.

Here are some of the biggest promises Saudi Arabia is making:

The bid book reveals how many hotels Saudi Arabia is building, when they are opening, and how many are luxury. Saudi says it already has “over 45,000 hotel rooms in alignment with FIFA requirements across the host cities,” with more than 185,000 additional rooms” opening by 2034.

Here is the breakdown in star ratings:

One table gives insight into how Saudi’s hotel market could look in a decade, including an upcoming boom in four-star hotel development. For example, Neom is planning over 9,000 five-star hotel rooms, 8,000 four-star and 5,000 three-star.

The document also reveals planned opening dates: For example, a “luxury Fifa venue hotel” at Neom is slated for completion in 2032. A separate “ultra-luxury” hotel at The Line – Neom’s proposed 170-kilometer-long indoor city, is also meant to open in 2032.

“A big risk for adding such a big supply of rooms for a major event like the World Cup or the Olympics is what happens afterward,” said Alan Woinski, editor of the Skift publication, Daily Lodging Report. “There have been instances of the rooms sitting empty, forcing owners to convert to apartments or mixed-use eventually.”

The Saudis say the developments “first district” will be ready before 2034. It states: “All FIFA World Cup 2034 activities in Neom will take place in the first district of The Line, which will be fully operational in advance of the Competition.”

“On arrival near the event sites, passengers will be able to travel quickly to their destinations by short walks or high-speed shuttles. A wide range of accommodation will be