The venues
Fifa’s bid evaluation report left no doubt: Saudi Arabia had put together the most convincing, highest-scoring package of all time. Staggeringly the fact 11 of the 15 stadiums are yet to be built provided little obstacle; nor did the fact Fifa itself pointed to “associated unknowns or challenges”. Many of the new venues have been designed by the US firm Populous, which also has a headquarters in London. Its work includes Spurs’ home and Lusail Stadium, which hosted the 2022 World Cup final. The visuals are dramatic and the ambition sweeping: King Salman Stadium in Riyadh will hold 92,000, staging the opening game and final. Prince Mohammed bin Salman Stadium, another Riyadh venue, has perhaps been the most widely trailed with its futuristic design and open side that looks out over cliffs. Numerous promises have been made regarding the arenas’ post-tournament legacies and sustainability prospects; hopefully those plans will be effected more quickly than those made for Qatar, where Stadium 974, yet to be dismantled and reconstructed elsewhere as mooted, is one example of a ground running beyond borrowed time.
