AECOM to shepherd Riyadh venue transformation

Image: AECOM on LinkedIn

AECOM, the trusted global infrastructure leader, announced on May 19^th its continued collaboration with the Saudi Ministry of Sport for site supervision consultancy services at the iconic King Fahd Sport City in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia).

‘AECOM’ stated that the above partnership comes as Saudi Arabia prepares to host two major international tournaments: The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup 2027 and the 2034 FIFA World Cup™. AECOM will oversee the transformation of the stadium into a premier venue.

Dallas (US)-based AECOM is the global infrastructure leader committed to delivering a better world. As a trusted professional services firm powered by deep technical abilities they solve their clients’ complex challenges in water, environment, energy, transportation, and buildings. AECOM teams’ partner with the public- and private-sector clients to create innovative, sustainable and resilient solutions throughout the project lifecycle – from advisory, planning, design, and engineering to program and construction management. AECOM is a Fortune 500 firm that had revenue of $16.1 billion in fiscal year 2024.

The King Fahd Sports City Stadium, also nicknamed ‘The Tent’ or ‘Pearl of Stadiums’, is a multipurpose stadium and the main stadium of the Sports City in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The stadium is currently closed for reconstruction and will see a capacity rise of approximately 70,200 seats by 2026.

Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)-based the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is the governing body of association football, beach soccer and futsal in most countries and territories in Asia. The AFC was formed in 1954. It has 47 members.

The 2027 AFC Asian Cup will be the 19^th edition of the AFC Asian Cup, the quadrennial international Men’s football championship of Asia organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The tournament involves 24 national teams after the expansion in 2019. It will be held in Saudi Arabia from January 7^th-February 5^th, 2027.

The 2034 FIFA World Cup™ will be the 25^th FIFA World Cup™, a quadrennial international football tournament contested by the Men’s national teams of the member associations of FIFA. In December 2024 Saudi Arabia was formally confirmed as the host nation by FIFA following an uncontested bidding process. It will be the third tournament to be hosted in Asia after Korea and Japan in 2002 and Qatar in 2022. Saudi Arabia will be the second host nation from the Arabian Peninsula in the space of 12 years. It will also be the first time the tournament will be hosted by a single nation since 2022.

‘AECOM’ quoted Lara Poloni, AECOM’s President, as stating, “As Saudi Arabia accelerates towards the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 we’re proud to deepen our collaboration with the Ministry of Sport on this iconic project. Around the world strategic investments in infrastructure are driving growth and resilience and this transformation reflects how sport can be a powerful catalyst for creating opportunity and improving communities.”

Known as the ‘Pearl of Stadiums’ the stadium has been a cornerstone of Saudi Arabia’s sports culture since its opening in 1987. Drawing from its extensive global experience in sports infrastructure AECOM will guide the enhancement to meet FIFA’s rigorous standards ensuring the stadium’s readiness for prestigious international events. These upgrades will further solidify its position as a premier sports venue aligned with the Kingdom’s growing sports ambitions and the broader goals of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 which is harnessing sports to drive economic growth, enhance the quality of life and strengthen the communities.

The Saudi Vision 2030 is a Government program launched by Saudi Arabia which aims to achieve the goal of increased diversification economically, socially and culturally in line with the vision of the Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman. It was first announced on April 25^th, 2016 by the Saudi Government.

Added Hamed Zaghw, Chief Executive of AECOM’s Middle East and Africa Region, “Our collaboration with the Ministry of Sport highlights AECOM’s commitment to delivering world-class infrastructure. By leveraging our expertise from the major international events like the 2022 Qatar World Cup™, the 2012 global sporting event in London (UK) and the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ combined with the AECOM Hunt’s (a construction management company and part of the larger AECOM organization) construction management experience on some of the world’s most renowned sports facilities we are proud to contribute to transforming the King Fahd Sports City into a global benchmark.”

The AECOM Hunt will serve as a key consulting partner in the stadium’s transformation and brings extensive expertise managing the construction of the sports and the entertainment venues across the United States including the 18,000-capacity Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, the 70,000-capacity Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, the 71,000-capacity Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, and the 70,000-capacity SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. With over 140 stadium projects in their portfolio the AECOM Hunt will provide unique insights to support a successful delivery of this landmark stadium.

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