RIYADH, October 4, 2026 — Saudi Arabia is quietly shelving plans to build the NEOM Stadium, one of the most ambitious arenas proposed for the 2034 FIFA World Cup, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters, in the latest signal that the kingdom is scaling back its futuristic giga-projects.
The NEOM Stadium had been designed as an elevated arena rising within The Line, the 160-kilometre mirrored steel-and-glass structure that anchors the broader NEOM development on the Red Sea coast. The two sources said the stadium project has now been shelved indefinitely, following delays and a downscaling of the development that was meant to host it.
The Line no longer a priority
NEOM was unveiled about a decade ago as the centrepiece of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030, an ambitious programme to diversify the economy and reduce dependence on oil. But the scale of the vision has been shrinking. Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of the Public Investment Fund that owns NEOM, confirmed in April that The Line was no longer a priority and said it was not vital before 2030, the original target for its first phase — while denying that any projects had been cancelled.
The Reuters report suggests that position has now hardened into an indefinite pause for the stadium itself. NEOM and the Saudi government media office did not respond to requests for comment, the sources’ accounts indicated, while the Ministry of Sports redirected questions to the World Cup 2034 Hosting Higher Authority.
A $2.5 billion centrepiece on hold
According to construction market intelligence platform MEED Projects, the 46,000-seat NEOM Stadium was expected to cost around $2.5 billion. MEED’s data, shared with Reuters, lists the stadium as “on hold” with no completion date, putting the total value of tracked 2034 World Cup projects at roughly $22.7 billion. The remaining stadiums and training facilities are described as being in various stages of development, with completion expected between 2026 and 2033.
The hosting authority said “substantial delivery” of construction milestones for the tournament was already taking place, and shared images of other stadiums under construction, but did not address questions about the NEOM Stadium or its costs.
World Cup 2034 preparations continue
The 2034 World Cup remains a marquee event for the kingdom, which has channelled enormous investment into sport through the sovereign wealth fund under Vision 2030. It will be the first time a single nation hosts the expanded 48-team format. Riyadh is working to build or renovate 15 venues across five cities, along with dozens of training facilities.
Fiscal pressure and the pivot
The pause comes as the kingdom faces mounting fiscal and security pressures. Last week, the Ministry of Finance said it expected this year’s fiscal deficit to be wider than previously projected, with real GDP contracting by 3.6 per cent following a drop in oil activities, according to the reports. The ongoing confrontation with the Iran-backed Houthis has also disrupted energy shipments and damaged critical infrastructure, adding strain to the state’s finances.
For the architects of Vision 2030, the NEOM Stadium’s indefinite shelving marks one of the clearest retreats yet from the kingdom’s most headline-grabbing megaproject promises — even as officials insist the wider 2034 World Cup build-out remains firmly on track.
