US-based engineering firm Aecom has announced that it has been appointed by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Sport to provide site supervision consultancy services for redeveloping the King Fahad Sport City stadium in Riyadh. In an official statement, Aecom said that its construction management division, Aecom Hunt, will also consult on the project. The project's main construction works began in December last year, when Saudi Arabia’s Sports Ministry awarded Saudi Binladin Group (SBG) the project’s main contract. The scope covers the expansion works to increase the stadium’s capacity from 68,752 seats to 92,000. In April,  SBG has secured a $533m credit facility from Saudi Awwal Bank to finance the construction of the King Fahd Sports City project in Riyadh. The project is part of Saudi Arabia's capital projects programme, which includes building new facilities for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup. The next phase will cover building 30 new training grounds and facilities near the stadiums that will be used for the event. The kingdom is ramping up its efforts to host major international sporting events in the country. In December last year, Saudi Arabia was officially selected to host the 2034 Fifa World Cup through an online convention of Fifa member associations at the Fifa congress. Saudi Arabia formally kicked off the participation process in October 2023, when it announced that it planned to bid to host the event. At the time, it was announced that the Saudi Arabian Football Federation would lead the 2034 World Cup bid. The kingdom officially submitted its bid to host the World Cup 2034 to the Federation Internationale de Football Association (Fifa) in July last year. (ICE RIYADH)

Fonte notizia: Meed