Three major sports projects advance toward completion: a golf course, a world-class racing circuit, and a stadium reinventing the fan experience

BETH | B

Construction is progressing on three of Qiddiya City’s most prominent sports projects, as part of a broader drive to transform the city into an international destination for hosting major competitions and delivering integrated sports and entertainment experiences.

Construction of the golf course has reached 92%, while progress on the Speed Park Track stands at 42%. Work on Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Stadium has reached 8%, reflecting the different development phases and engineering complexity of each project.

A Stadium Atop Tuwaiq

Construction of Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Stadium has reached 8%. The multipurpose venue is being built atop the Tuwaiq cliffs, at an elevation of approximately 200 metres.

Designed by the global architectural firm Populous, the stadium will accommodate nearly 45,000 spectators and become the world’s first fully integrated venue combining a retractable roof, retractable pitch, and a vast LED wall.

These features will allow the venue to transform within hours from a football stadium into an arena for boxing, esports, concerts, or theatrical performances, giving it an operational capacity that extends far beyond a conventional match schedule.

The stadium is set to serve as one of the venues for the 2034 FIFA World Cup, while Qiddiya expects it to attract approximately 7.6 million visits annually once fully operational.

Golf Nears Completion

Qiddiya Investment Company announced that construction of the golf course has reached 92%, making it the closest to completion among the three sports projects.

Extending across more than one million square metres amid the Tuwaiq Mountains, the course features 18 holes designed by golfing legend Sir Nick Faldo, alongside an academy and advanced training facilities.

The project is not intended solely to host international tournaments. It also aims to establish a strong domestic foundation for the sport through Qiddiya’s partnership with the Faldo Series, which specialises in identifying and developing young golfing talent.

The course has also been designed for professionals and amateurs alike, with night-play capabilities and flexible layouts that allow shorter rounds, helping broaden participation beyond tournaments and elite players.

A Corner in the Sky

Construction of the Speed Park Track has reached 42%. The project combines an open circuit and a street circuit within a single design that runs through several of the city’s landmarks and facilities.

The track features 21 corners, supports speeds exceeding 325 kilometres per hour, and includes 80 garages for participating teams.

Its defining feature is “The Blade,” the world’s first elevated racing corner. Rising 70 metres, equivalent to a 20-storey building, it was designed by renowned circuit designer Hermann Tilke in collaboration with former Formula 1 driver Alex Wurz.

The circuit is being developed to host Formula 1 and other leading international motorsport championships. It will also be available to clubs, enthusiasts, exhibitions, and events during periods between major competitions.

Qiddiya at a Glance

Qiddiya is one of the Public Investment Fund’s giga-projects. Launched in 2018, it is being developed as a global destination for entertainment, sports, and culture across more than 360 square kilometres near Riyadh.

The city’s master plan includes more than 400 attractions and experiences distributed across over 20 distinct neighbourhoods, with a targeted population of approximately 500,000 residents upon completion.

Qiddiya is not being built as a collection of theme parks or seasonal facilities. It is an integrated city combining residential districts, hospitality, retail, sports, entertainment, and culture under the concept of the “Power of Play.”

Analysis

The significance of the construction figures lies not in the percentages individually, but in the broader picture they collectively reveal.

With progress reaching 92%, the golf course represents a sports asset nearing the operational phase. The Speed Park Track’s 42% completion indicates that one of Qiddiya’s most complex projects has moved decisively from design into physical formation. Meanwhile, the 8% completion of Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Stadium reflects the early construction phase of a vast structure requiring unconventional engineering solutions and therefore cannot be directly compared with the development timeline of an open golf course.

More importantly, the three projects are not designed for the same audience:

The stadium will attract football supporters, concertgoers, esports audiences, and visitors to major public events.

The Speed Park Track will create a market around motorsports, racing teams, sponsorships, and related industries.

The golf course will serve international tournaments, sports tourism, training, and talent development.

This diversity reduces Qiddiya’s dependence on a single event or season and gives the city the potential to maintain an active operating calendar throughout the year.

Housing these facilities within one city also changes the economics of the sporting event itself. Visitors will not merely arrive for a match or race and then leave. They will be able to stay in hotels, use entertainment facilities, shop, and attend other events. Sport is therefore transformed from an experience lasting only a few hours into an integrated economic cycle.

Beyond the Developments

Qiddiya is not merely building facilities capable of hosting global tournaments. It is creating landmarks that cannot be separated from the events they host.

The stadium will be distinguished not only by its capacity, but also by its location atop the Tuwaiq cliffs and its transformative technologies. The Speed Park Track will offer more than a new racing circuit; its elevated corner could become a defining visual symbol of the destination. The golf course, meanwhile, uses the Tuwaiq landscape to give the sport a distinctive Saudi identity.

These details matter in global competition because cities no longer compete solely to host major events. They compete to create the enduring image that remains in the world’s memory long after the event has concluded.

Strategic Outlook

As the first sports asset approaches completion and construction progresses across the other projects, Qiddiya is gradually moving from announcing its vision to building the city’s operational calendar.

The next test will extend beyond completing buildings and circuits. It will lie in attracting tournaments regularly, developing Saudi talent, operating the facilities throughout the year, and connecting them with hospitality, transportation, retail, and investment.

If this integration is achieved, Qiddiya will not merely be a location where Saudi Arabia hosts major competitions. It will become a platform that builds a new economy around sport and gives Riyadh an additional reason to visit, stay, and invest.

Prepared and Analysed by | Strategic Media Department – BETH Agency
Supervised by: Abdullah Al-Omairah