ATLANTA, October 31, 2026 — The United States has formally joined Expo 2030 Riyadh as an official participant, after Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan signed a participation agreement on Friday on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Atlanta.
The agreement, reported by the Saudi Press Agency, confirms Washington as an official participant in the world fair and sets out a formal framework for the two countries to advance preparations for the event, which Saudi Arabia will host in its capital from October 1, 2030, to March 31, 2031.
A framework for the USA Pavilion
According to the US State Department, the signed contract marks the start of preparation and planning for an American pavilion at the expo. Officials said US participation aims to showcase American innovation, broaden opportunities for US businesses and deepen the strategic partnership between Washington and Riyadh.
Rubio described the signing as an important first step toward what he called a world-leading USA pavilion, while Prince Faisal thanked his American counterpart for his support for Expo 2030, state media reported. Saudi Ambassador to the United States Princess Reema bint Bandar, who attended the meeting, welcomed the agreement as another important milestone in the Saudi-US strategic partnership.
No contract value or pavilion budget was disclosed, the State Department said, and no detailed construction timetable has yet been published.
What Expo 2030 Riyadh will look like
Expo 2030 Riyadh will run under the theme “The Era of Change: Together for a Foresighted Tomorrow.” The event is expected to bring together 197 official participants and attract more than 42 million visitors across a six-million-square-metre site north of Riyadh, near the King Salman International Airport development, according to the event’s organisers.
Saudi Arabia secured the right to host the expo in November 2023, when member states of the Bureau International des Expositions voted in Paris, ahead of rival bids from South Korea’s Busan and Italy’s Rome. The fair arrives at the culmination of Vision 2030, the Kingdom’s sweeping programme to diversify its economy away from dependence on oil exports.
Talks beyond the expo
The two ministers also used their Atlanta meeting to review strategic ties between their countries, explore ways to expand cooperation in priority sectors and exchange views on regional developments, including efforts to address challenges facing the Middle East, the Saudi foreign ministry said.
The meeting took place during the two-day G20 foreign ministers’ gathering hosted by Rubio in Atlanta, where ministers have been discussing geopolitical developments, maritime security, energy and food security, and global trade and supply chains.
For Riyadh, landing the United States as an official participant is an early vote of confidence in an event still four years away — and a reminder that, even as regional tensions dominate headlines, the Kingdom’s flagship Vision 2030 project continues to gather international backing.
