Social media has been abuzz this week with a viral video of a soccer stadium perched at the top of a skyscraper, along with the claim that it will be built as one of the venues for matches at the 2034 FIFA World Cup in Saudi Arabia.
The short, unofficial clip purporting to depict the concept supposedly reveals plans for a $1 billion, 46,000-seater arena in the futuristic new city of NEOM that will perch high atop a purpose-built skyscraper, 350 metres (1,150 feet) above the ground.
It remains unclear who created and initially shared the clip, which has sparked plenty of excitement online but also several questions: Will the building be secure and architecturally sound? How long will the queue for the elevators be after the game? Was it designed intentionally to look so much like the Eye of Sauron?
But while the computer-generated clip may have convinced some people that it is a vision of the future, the truth is that it’s a work of science fiction. However, the reality is still something to behold.
The actual stadium proposed for construction in NEOM has been officially listed as one of the 15 host stadiums being either renovated or built from scratch for the FIFA 2034 World Cup for almost a year, and the Saudis do plan for it to be 350 metres above the ground. That is because they plan for it to form part of The Line, a proposed smart, green city in Neom that will eventually extend in linear fashion for over 100 miles across the northwest Saudi province of Tabuk by 2045, powered entirely by renewable energy.
The 46,000-capacity NEOM Stadium will be designed and constructed in partnership with Neom, the Saudi Ministry of Sport and the Public Investment Fund (PIF) with work set to begin in 2027 and conclude in 2032, two years before the World Cup kicks off.
Presented as part of Saudi Arabia’s 2034 World Cup bid book (p. 107), published by FIFA in November 2024, the Neom project was introduced as