The Sports Ministry will issue tenders in December for a new stadium and five upgrades across the Kingdomas part of a SAR 10.1 bn capital projects program, Meed reports. The initiative hopes to refurbish sports facilities in time for the kingdom’s hosting of the 2027 AFC Asian Cup and the 2034 FIFA World Cup later if confirmed.

The impetus: KSA was confirmed in late Octoberas the sole bidder for the 2034 FIFA World Cup after Australia said it would not be presenting a bid to host the tournament.

REMEMBER- The ministry has been accepting prequalification documents for the new construction contracts since July of this year. The program’s main contractor is yet to be announced.

One new stadium + five upgrades: The fresh tenders will see the ministry inviting companies to bid for the construction of one new sustainable stadium with 45k seats in the north of Riyadh, and sponsor the expansion of five existing football stadiums nationwide.

More room for the fans: Awardees will upgrade Riyadh’s King Fahd Stadium seating capacity to 92k from 58k, Riyadh’s Prince Faisal Bin Fahd’s stadium to 45k from 23k, Dammam’s Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd Stadium to 30k from 26k and Prince Saud Bin Jalawi Stadium in Khobar to 45k from 11k.

Project timeline: Work on the stadiums is set to begin in July of next year and be completed by December 2025. A total of 18 facilities will be ready in time for the 2026 AFC Women’s Cup, for which the kingdom is a confirmed bidder.

And that’s not all: The next phase of the Sports Ministry’s initiative will see the construction of 30 new training grounds and facilities in close proximity to the stadiums to be used for the 2027 tournament.

Sport is taking off in KSA: In October, the Saudi Arabian Football Federation awarded an early works contract to local contractor Al Osais for the construction of a new 40k seater stadium in Dammam. The Public Investment Fund has also invited consultants to manage, operate and revamp Al-Ittihad’s home court, the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium on the outskirts of Jeddah.

ALSO IN INFRASTRUCTURE-

PIF’s Seven will build the first entertainment hub in Aseer: Saudi Entertainment Ventures (Seven), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Public Investment Fund (PIF), announced its first entertainment destination in Abha’s Aseer province in the Kingdom’s southwest, a statement by Seven says. The SAR 1.3 bn facility will have a built-up area of over 79k sqm.

Who’s designing and building? Saudi-based developer Modern Building Leaders will take care of construction. Global firms including Cundall, Theme 3, Top Notch, Holofice, Thinkwell, and Sea Quest have been taped to design entertainment attractions.

The destination will be home to eight attractions, including a family entertainment center and a Discovery Adventures jungle-themed edutainment attraction created in a partnership with Warner Bros. It will also include outdoor jungle-themed Discovery Global Themed Entertainment and a play-doh themed entertainment center and others.

BACKGROUND- SEVEN is investing over SAR 50 bn to build 21 entertainment destinations in 14 cities across the country, including Riyadh, Makkah, Taif, Dammam, Madinah, Yanbu and others.

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