The masterplan drawn up by Populous for Riyadh has been unveiled. It includes King Salman Stadium, which, seating 92,000, will be among the world’s largest sports arenas. Programmed for completion late in 2029, it will be the primary headquarters of Saudi Arabia’s national football team, and seeks to host the 2034 World Cup.

The plan takes inspiration from natural patterns and elements of Saudi Arabia’s landscape, with the symbolic concept of each sports venue representing a seed that germinates, cracks the earth, and emerges. The vegetation wrapping the stadium blends it with the environs. Adacent to King Abdulaziz Park, the stadium scheme includes commercial premises and a variety of recreational and sporting facilities: football training fields, an aquatics center with an Olympic-sized swimming pool, an athletics stadium, an indoor sports hall, and a community park for volleyball, basketball, paddle tennis, and more.