Saudi Arabia's World Cup Bid Reveals New Plans for Hotels, Stadiums, Airports

Saudi Arabia has submitted its bid to host the men's football World Cup in 2034, and for the first time has laid out goals for development of hotels, stadiums, and other parts of its travel economy.

Saudi's 245-page "bid book" calls for tens of thousands of additional hotel rooms, 11 new stadiums, and cities built from the ground up. For now, these are ambitious goals, and a lot of work and investment will be required to deliver on them. Projects that were part of crown prince Mohammed bin Salman's 2030 Vision have not had clear timelines and there have been reports of delays.

Saudi proposes that it would host the event across Riyadh, Neom, Jeddah, Al Khobar and Abha. The opening match and the final would take place in Riyadh.

FIFA also has new rules around human rights and worker safety, related to the construction of stadiums, hotels, and airports. These grew out of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where migrant workers died due to unsafe working conditions. Saudi's bid book devotes 15 pages to sustainability and human rights.

The bid book does not mention alcohol, which is banned in Saudi Arabia.

Here are some of the biggest promises Saudi Arabia is making:

The bid book reveals how many hotels Saudi Arabia is building, when they are opening, and how many are luxury. Saudi s