HIGHER GROUND
Inside incredible futuristic World Cup stadium set to be built 350m above ground and accessed by driverless vehicles
Safety concerns have been brought up over the stadium
SAUDI ARABIA will build 11 new stadiums for the 2034 World Cup in what is likely to be the most expensive sports construction project ever undertaken.
The most striking design will see a 45,000-seater stadium built into a cliff edge in Riyadh and decked out in futuristic LED panels.
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Another will be built 350m above ground in the as-yet unbuilt city of Neom.
That structure will only be reachable by driverless vehicles and high speed lifts.
Neom is a city currently under construction in the desert and will be 106 miles long.
It is an 'indoor city' made up of parallel sky scrapers.
While 11 brand new stadiums are being created, four current ones in use in the Saudi Pro League will also be renovated.
Saudi Arabia is currently the only bidder for the 2034 World Cup.
They are likely to be given the tournament unopposed after Fifa made moves to ensure the World Cup was handed to the Gulf State according to The Times.
Human rights groups have expressed concerns over the construction of the stadiums, with fears that migrant labour will be exploited as it was at the 2022 World Cup in neighbouring Qatar.
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The Saudi state is also known to suppress political opposition and LGBTQ+ rights.
The tournament looks set to take place in November and December, just as the 2022 World Cup in Qatar was.
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On the construction of the futuristic Neom stadium, the Saudi 2034 bid book states: “Neom Stadium will be the most unique stadium in the world. With a pitch situated more than 350m above ground, stunning vistas and a roof created from the city itself, the stadium will be an experience like no other.
“Within The Line, mass transport and personal transport will be enabled by a network of tram-like Autonomous Rapid Transit vehicles and Personal Rapid Transit, operating on five primary horizontal transport corridors.
“The corridors will be placed at 30, 150, 250, 350 and 450 metres above ground, and will enable fast and efficient transit. Vertical mobility will be facilitated by high-speed lifts in city cores, connecting to the five different levels of The Line.”
The biggest capacity venue would be the King Salman stadium which would host both the opening game and the final - seating 92,000 spectators.
The King Salman will have not just VIP areas, but also VVIP areas, presumably used to host heads of state.
A total of 132 training venues located across 15 cities are proposed as base camps for the 48 teams, and more than half of these would be built from scratch.
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The World Cup would be the jewel in the crown of a focused investment into sport in recent years by the Saudi state.
The nation has invested heavily in football domestically, in Newcastle United and have brought boxing, golf and snooker to the Gulf state.