<p class="ingestion featured-caption">ROSHN Stadium is one of 11 stadiums Saudi Arabia plans to build for the FIFA 2034 World Cup.Saudi Arabian Football Federation</p><ul class="summary-list"><li>FIFA unveiled Saudi Arabia's plans for the 2034 FIFA World Cup.</li><li>The country plans to build 11 new stadiums and refurbish 4 existing ones.</li></ul><p>FIFA released<strong> </strong><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/history-soccer-middle-east-africa-colonialism-independence-fifa-world-cup-2022-12">Saudi Arabia</a>'s ambitious plans for the 2034 World Cup, and it involves building 11 new stadiums, including a 46,000-seat venue inside the country's planned horizontal<strong> </strong>skyscraper, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/the-line-neom-completely-ludicrous-design-saudi-arabia-2024-6">The Line</a>.</p><p>The grand project is another glimpse at the <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/saudi-arabia-sports-spending-billions-soccer-golf-formula-one-2023-9">billions of dollars Saudi Arabia is investing in sports</a> as the country seeks to <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/vision-2030-saudi-arabia-plan-future-proof-oil-economy-2023-8">future-proof</a> an economy largely dependent on crude oil and rebrand a region that has been accused of having a <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/saudi-arabia-human-rights-violations-atrocities-before-jamal-khashoggi-2018-10">poor human rights record,</a> which some critics have panned as a textbook example of "<a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/pga-said-saudis-use-liv-golf-tcover-atrocities-merging-anyway-2023-6">sportswashing</a>."</p><p>"We recognize that our hosting of the Competition would bring opportunity and responsibility to uphold human rights throughout this journey and beyond," the country's 2034 FIFA bid book states. "We are confident in our ability to deliver a responsible and respectful tournament as proven by our successful track record in hosting international events."</p><p>FIFA has not officially announced Saudi Arabia as the host nation but the country is expected to be confirmed in December, according to <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-08-02/saudi-fund-s-multibillion-dollar-bank-deals-deepen-china-pivot">Bloomberg</a>, as no other nation submitted a bid to host the global competition.</p><p>In total, the plans call for 15 stadiums — four of which are existing venues that would be refurbished<strong> </strong>— across five proposed host cities: Abha, Al Khobar, Jeddah, Riyadh, and Neom, the country's desert <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/saudi-neom-first-eco-city-experts-design-architecture-2024-7">"eco-city"</a> currently under construction, which will feature<a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/saudi-arabia-neom-the-line-urban-design-linear-pros-cons-2024-6"> The Line skyscrapers</a>.</p><p>A spokesperson for the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) did not respond to a request for comment.</p><p>Here's a look at the stadiums:</p>