The construction of a new Saudi stadium in Dammam is edging closer after Saudi Aramco, the state-owned national oil company of Saudi Arabia, revealed that it had received bids for a contract to build temporary facilities around the stadium.
Several contractors submitted bids in December for the project which will see the construction of six separate buildings around the new Saudi stadium. All six buildings will surround the new football stadium in Dammam over an area of 548 square metres. The types of buildings that need building are offices and associated facilities.
The news comes just a few weeks after it was revealed that the Saudi Arabian Sports Ministry had received bids for the contract to build the new stadium. This is significant as it means the wheels are now in motion to build a stadium that they want to complete by early 2026.
New Saudi stadium: What we know so far
With construction imminent in Dammam, 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 Dammam Stadium. The Dammam Stadium is reportedly going to be built over an area of around 800,000 square metres and will have a capacity of 45,000 once completed.
The stadium is set to be built in Dammam Sports City which is where Ettifaq FC, the team currently managed by Steven Gerrard, trains and plays their home matches. Once built, 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 funding for the new stadium is coming directly from the Saudi Arabian Sports Ministry. The government branch pledged nearly $3bn in May 2023 to build new sporting facilities, such as the Dammam Stadium, and to upgrade existing ones over the next five years.
Will the upgrades support Saudi Arabia's 2034 World Cup bid?
If all goes to plan the new Dammam Stadium will be built in time for the 2027 Asian Football Confederation Cup which could turn out to be a dry run for the 2034 World Cup. Although Saudi Arabia are yet to be officially confirmed as hosts for the 2034 edition of the tournament, they are the only nation to have made a bid so the result is effectively a foregone conclusion.
Therefore, providing FIFA deem the nation and its facilities acceptable, the new Dammam Stadium is near-certainty to host World Cup fixtures in ten years. By then, could the Saudi Pro League be one of the most prestigious in the world or will have it fallen by the wayside? Only time will tell, but one thing is for certain – the Saudi government are serious about investing in football.