US-based architectural firm Populous is the designer for at least nine stadiums set to host the Fifa World Cup 2034 tournament.  In Riyadh, Populous is working on the King Salman Stadium, the upgrade of King Fahad Sports City Stadium, the renovation of Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Stadium, Qiddiya's Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Stadium, the renovation of King Saud University Stadium and South Riyadh Stadium. Elsewhere, the firm is also understood to be working on the Qiddiya Coast Stadium near Jeddah, King Khalid University Stadium in Abha and Aramco Stadium in Al-Khobar. Saudi Arabia's stadium projects are expected to garner considerable attention in the near future. Last week, the kingdom revealed that it plans to construct 11 new stadiums as part of its bid to host the Fifa World Cup 2034. Eight out of the 15 stadiums are located in the capital, Riyadh, four in Jeddah and one each in Al-Khobar, Abha and Neom. The proposal outlines an additional 10 cities that will host training bases. These include Al-Baha, Jazan, Taif, Medina, Alula, Umluj, Tabuk, Hail, Al-Ahsa and Buraidah. The bid proposes 134 training sites across the kingdom, including 61 existing facilities and 73 new training venues. According to the official bid book document, eight of these stadiums are in the planning stage. Four stadiums will be refurbished and expanded to meet the hosting criteria, while three are already under construction. The showpiece venue for the tournament will be the newly announced King Salman Stadium, which will be located in north Riyadh, next to King Abdulaziz Park. The stadium will cover an area of about 660,000 square metres (sq m) and have a seating capacity of over 92,000 spectators. The 46,000-seat stadium in Neom is “designed to stand out among the world’s most iconic landmarks”, according to the bid book. It is planned to be built 350 metres above ground level within The Line project at Neom. (ICE RIYADH)

Fonte notizia: Meed