When Fifa’s team of inspectors travelled to the north-west of Saudi Arabia a fortnight or so ago, they needed to bring vibrant imaginations. They were scoping out one of the probable venues for the 2034 World Cup but this was no usual reconnaissance mission. It is one thing when, more than a decade out, a stadium is unbuilt, but quite another when the same goes for an entire host city. Visualising a semi‑final between, say, England and Brazil is not straightforward when you are gazing into a trench.
That was the case when a delegation from football’s governing body visited Neom, a mind-boggling project whose centrepiece will be a high-rise line in the desert that measures 105 miles long and 200 metres wide, ultimately accommodating nine million people. The plans that have been released look akin to a video game. Details of its progress are closely guarded but excavation works are well under way and there is a pledge to begin moving people in by 2030. The city will contain several stadiums and if Saudi Arabia gets its way, which happens more often than not, Neom will become one of the most important sporting venues on Earth.
