Construction of Aramco Stadium in Saudi Arabia, also known as Dammam Stadium, is progressing well. The football stadium is expected to be ready for the 2026 AFC Asian Cup and could be used during the 2034 FIFA World Cup.
Several contractors submitted bids for the project, which includes six separate buildings around the Stadium. The venue covers an area of approximately 800,000 square metres. The types of buildings that need to be built are offices and associated facilities.
New Saudi stadium: What we know so far
With construction ongoing, let's take a look at what we already know about the new stadium. It was first revealed in February 2023 that the Saudi Football Federation were looking to construct three brand new state-of-the-art stadiums in time for the 2027 Asian Football Confederation Cup.
The three stadiums in question are the Riyadh Stadium, the Qiddiya Stadium and the Aramco Stadium. A joint venture between Saudi-based Al-Bawani and Belgian contractor BESIX won the bid to construct Aramco Stadium.
Populus is the mastermind behind the Whirlpool-inspired design of Aramco Stadium, a venue that is expected to have a capacity of 47,000.
The stadium is set to be built in Dammam Sports City, the venue where Ettifaq FC of the Saudi Pro League trains and plays their home matches. Once completed, it will be the third-largest stadium in the country after the King Fahd Sports City Stadium in Riyadh and the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah.
The Saudi Arabian Sports Ministry is the main financier of the project. The government branch pledged nearly $3bn in May 2023 to build new sporting facilities, such as the Aramco Stadium, and to upgrade existing ones over the next five years.
Its design includes several specifications that suit:
🌊 The region’s environment
👤 The fan experience
🤩 Aesthetic satisfactionSet to be built soon, Dammam Stadium will be one of the new stadiums at #Saudi2027! 🏟️🇸🇦 https://t.co/oo4dvLHjYU
— Saudi 2027 (@saudi2027) February 1, 2023
Will the upgrades support Saudi Arabia's 2034 World Cup bid?
If all goes to plan, the new Aramco Stadium will be built in time for the 2027 Asian Football Confederation Cup.
Apart from the AFC Asian Cup, a total of 15 stadiums will be used during the 2034 World Cup, across five host cities, namely Jeddah, Al Khobar, and Riyadh. Neom and Abha.
Provided FIFA deem the nation and its facilities acceptable ahead of the World Championship, Aramco Stadium is near-certain to host World Cup fixtures in ten years. The big question is: will the Saudi Pro League become one of the prominent leagues in the world by then?
Only time will tell, but one thing is for certain, the Saudi government are serious about investing in football. Saudi Pro League has not only become a budding ground for the country's football talents, but the fact that it continues to attract top European talents provides the country with the much-needed limelight ahead of the 2034 FIFA World Cup.