Two is company, and three is a crowd. Hence, Saudi Arabia has launched its campaign to be the sole host of the FIFA 2034 World Cup, abandoning the joint bid to host the 2030 World Cup alongside Egypt and Greece. If longtime rivals Qatar can do a stellar job, there is no reason why the rapidly progressing oil-rich nation with stupendous megaprojects can’t do it and better. Per The Times, Saudi officials have approached senior figures in European football to secure backing for the Kingdom to host the prestigious international football tournament.
They have umpteen venues for the same, but the one standing out is Neom, potentially in the Trojena ski resort, which is also where the 2029 Winter Games are scheduled to take place. The $1 trillion megacity, NEOM, was unveiled by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in 2017 as part of the country’s Vision2030. Trojena is its gorgeous ski resort, complete with an artificial lake, luxury residences, and wellness resorts that can attract a whopping 700,000 visitors by 2030.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, “TROJENA will redefine mountain tourism for the world by creating a place based on the principles of ecotourism, highlighting our efforts to preserve nature and enhance the community’s quality of life. [It] will be an important addition to tourism in the region, a unique example of how Saudi Arabia is creating destinations based on its geographical and environmental diversity.”
In recent years, Saudi Arabia has singlehandedly changed the face of football by roping in high-profile football players Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, and Neymar. Hosting the prestigious 2023 FIFA Club World Cup seems the next natural step.
Trojena will host the Winter Olympics 2030 and 2029 Asian Winter Games –
The year-round outdoor skiing and adventure sports haven Trojena, slated to be completed in 2026, won the bid to host the Asian Winter Games 2029. The 60-square-kilometer skiing and outdoor activity resort was designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, UNStudio, Aedas, LAVA, and Bureau Proberts as part of the Neom development. More than 3,600 hotel rooms and 2,200 homes to accommodate tourists and locals.
The venue is packed with adrenaline-pumping activities like a massive ski village featuring a range of sports, a ski slope, mountain biking, and watersports. With terrific Trojena, Saudi Arabia became the first country in the Middle East to be awarded the iconic 2029 Asian Winter Games. It is also touted as a surprise host of the Winter Olympics to be held in 2030 owing to bottomless pits of funds and incredible infrastructure.
Crown Prince MBS will be using the World Cup to showcase The Line to the world-
There is so much development happening at the $1 trillion city Neom that it would take an advertisement as big as the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup to do it complete justice. There is no topping the visionary Crown Prince when it comes to making megaprojects and then catapulting them to the spotlight. With Neom Trojena touted as the possible address of the World Cup, The Line will get its fair share of attention.
The city will boast its own airline, expected to be fully operational by the end of 2024, and a $1.5 billion high-speed rail line. The railway line will connect this elongated ‘linear’ city that is 33 times New York’s size to other Neom regions. The Line will comprise two 1,600-foot tall buildings that run parallel to each other across 75 miles of desert. It will house five million people and generate up to 380,000 jobs, and will take 50 years to complete.
