Saudi Arabia ritzy stadia projects tenders

Image: Ministry of Sport

Saudi Arabia’s Sport Ministry plans to issue tenders for contracts to build sports stadiums as part of its SR10.1bn ($2.7bn) capital projects program.

‘MEED’ stated that sources close to the scheme said, “The prequalification process has been completed and the tender for the stadiums is expected to be issued in a week or two. In July 2023, the Ministry invited construction companies to submit prequalification documents for the main construction contracts. The projects are slated for completion before the 2027 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup.

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

The 2027 AFC Asian Cup will be the 19th 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.

Image: Ministry of Sport

‘MEED’ further stated that the projects are split into four principal elements. The largest of these projects – and the most immediate – covers the construction of a new stadium to the North of Riyadh and the upgrade of the five existing football stadiums. This includes:

• Increasing the capacity of the 58,398-capacity King Fahd Sports City Stadium in Riyadh to 92,000 seats;
• Expanding the seating capacity of Riyadh’s 44,500-capacity Prince Faisal bin Fahd Sports City Stadium to 45,000;
• Increasing the capacity of the 26,000-capacity Prince Mohammed bin Fahd Stadium in Dammam to 30,000 seats;
• An increase in seating capacity for the 11,000-capacity Prince Saud bin Jalawi Stadium in Dammam to 45,000; and
• The construction of a sustainable New Riyadh Stadium in the North of Riyadh with 45,000 seats.

 
The next main element of the Ministry’s projects program is the construction of 30 new training grounds and facilities in proximity to the stadiums that will be used for the 2027 competition.

Construction on the schemes is expected to start in July 2024 and is scheduled to be completed by December 2025. A total of 18 facilities will be ready in time for the 2026 AFC Women’s Cup.

The 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup will be the 21^st edition of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup, the quadrennial international football tournament in Asia competed by the women’s national teams in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The confirmed bid has come from Saudi Arabia.
 

Advancing Stadium Projects

Construction activity on the other football stadium projects in Saudi Arabia is also progressing. In January, the Jeddah Central Development Company selected the Beijing-headquartered China Railway Construction Corporation for a contract to build its Jeddah Central stadium project. Construction is expected to start in February and be completed by 2026.

Image: Ministry of Sport

Jeddah (Saudi Arabia)-based the Jeddah Central Development Company respects, preserves and proudly celebrates Jeddah’s (Saudi Arabia) rich heritage, distinctive culture and traditions. While the company continues the tradition of authentic hospitality, it also embraces modernity to enhance the lives of the residents and attract visitors from around the world.

The China Railway Construction Corporation Limited is a listed construction enterprise based in Beijing, China, and was the second largest construction and engineering company in the world by revenue in 2014.

The Jeddah Central is being developed on a 5.7 square-kilometer site and will comprise 17,000 residential units and 2,700 hotel keys, an opera house, a museum, a sports stadium, and an oceanarium. It will have six districts – Central, Marina, Beach, Sports Park, Cultural and Creativity, and Wellness.

Contractors have also submitted bids for the construction of a new football stadium in Dammam. The bids were submitted on December 28^th last year. The stadium will have the capacity to accommodate 40,000 spectators. The new stadium will be built in the Dammam Sports City area, where the facilities of the Saudi Pro League (the highest division of association football in the Saudi league system) team Al-Ettifaq FC and the Oman Professional League (the top division of the Oman Football Association) team Al-Nahda Club are located.

The contractors also submitted separate bids for a contract to build the temporary facilities that are required for the construction of the Dammam stadium.

In October last year, it was reported that the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) had awarded a contract to the local Al Osais Contracting Company for the early works for the Dammam football stadium. The scope includes site preparation, enabling works and basic infrastructure works.

Image: Ministry of Sport

The facility will be used to host international tournaments such as the 2027 AFC Cup and the 2034 FIFA World Cup™. The project is being fast-tracked and is expected to be completed by the first half of 2026.

Riyadh (Saudi Arabia)-based the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) is the football governing body of Saudi Arabia. Founded in 1956, its responsibilities include administration of the club competitions and the national teams. The founder of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation is Prince Abdullah bin Faisal Al Saud.

Dammam (Saudi Arabia)-based the Al Osais Contracting Company is a General Contractor involved in construction of commercial buildings, residential complexes and industrial buildings, which include site development, infrastructure and utilities, all types of construction, structural steel works, marine works, plant infrastructural civil works, and surveying and drafting services.

Consultants have also been invited by the Saudi sovereign wealth vehicle the Public Investment Fund (PIF) to bid for a contract to provide project and asset management services for the operation and upgrade of its 62,345-capacity King Abdullah Sports City Stadium on the outskirts of Jeddah.

The PIF is also seeking contractors to develop a multipurpose stadium at its Qiddiya entertainment city project on the outskirts of Riyadh. In November, the PIF-backed Qiddiya Investment Company issued a tender inviting companies to bid for the main contract to build the stadium. The bids for the main contract were submitted in December last year.

The PIF also has plans for a stadium that will be built 300 meters above the ground between the two buildings that form part of The Line development at the NEOM giga project. This stadium has featured in NEOM’s marketing campaigns.

Riyadh (Saudi Arabia)-based the Public Investment Fund (PIF) is the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia. It is among the largest sovereign wealth funds in the world with total estimated assets of US$776 billion. It was created in 1971 for the purpose of investing funds on behalf of the Government of Saudi Arabia.

Qiddiya is a planned entertainment and tourism megaproject in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Construction started in the beginning of 2019. It is part of the Saudi Vision 2030 program, which aims to diversify the Saudi economy.

NEOM is a new urban area planned by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and is being built in its Northwestern Tabuk Province. It was launched in 2017 by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The construction of NEOM is now well underway, with significant developments achieved.
 

Massive Investments

A ‘LinkedIn Post By Mohammed AlQahtani, CEO, Saudi Arabia Holding Company’ states, “Massive Investments in Saudi Stadiums in Preparation for the 2027 Asian Cup”

• “Ambitious project to develop the sports infrastructure”;
• “The Ministry of Sports announces its plans for #stadium development”;
• “#Investment reaching 10.1 billion Saudi Riyals (2.69 billion US Dollars) for the #construction and upgrading of advanced stadiums”;
• “Targeted Stadiums and Seating Capacities”; and
• “Additional Training Fields: Construction of 30 training fields across various regions of the #Kingdom”.

 

Goals of the Plan

• “Enhance sports #infrastructure in #SaudiArabia”;
• “Provide high-quality facilities for the #AsianCup 202”;
• “Boost Saudi Arabia’s stature as a global sports destination”;
• “Announcement of Contract Winners”; and
• “The Ministry of Sports will announce the names of the winning companies in February 2024”.

 
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