On a cold December night, President of Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), Gianni Infantino, made history as he formally confirmed the award of the 2034 FIFA World Cup, the biggest sporting competition in the world, to Saudi Arabia.

It sparked wild celebrations in the football-mad country, just as Minister of Sports and Youth Abdulaziz Turki al-Faisal al-Saud and Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) President Yasser Al Misehal dried their tears.

While the decision to ratify the award by FIFA’s congress members was seen as largely symbolic, as Saudi Arabia had been unopposed in their bid, it represents the pinnacle that Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman aimed for when the country’s Vision 2030 was unveiled back in 2016.

Seen as an overarching strategy designed to help diversify and increase revenues from non-oil sources, the Vision 2030 programme touches upon every aspect of Saudi life and aims to uplift the country into becoming a modern day giant, competing in everything from sports to technology.

Securing the hosting rights to the 2034 FIFA World Cup is the crowning achievement of Saudi Arabia’s sports policy but it has come about through a clear long-term vision and consistent efforts to back it up

Subsequently, the country has been in one major headline after the other over the last five years, ramping up an extensive portfolio of sports investments around the world and fast-tracking the growth of local Saudi sports.

A $408 million takeover of Newcastle United, propping up Liv Golf to become the de facto golf tournament in the world and the Saudi Pro League (SPL) spending a massive $957 million on football transfers — these are just some of the marquee areas that Saudi Arabia has undertaken as it narrows down on becoming the go-to destination for ‘sportainment’.

The question of why has been asked by everyone around the world and there are different answers being provided, too. However, a thorough look at the Vision 2030 plan showcases sport as one of the central figures in the plan and one that gathers global attention as well.

A natural progression for Saudi Arabia as it aims to diversify the economy is becoming an established base, where everyone and all sports are welcome. The numbers do show the progress, with $6.3 billion invested into sports since 2021 and the country embarking on a massive overhaul of the entire entertainment sector as well.

Favourable government policies encourage investment and one of the key targets of the Vision 2030 plan is to move the contribution of sports to the GDP up to 1.5 per cent — representing an effective doubling of the current output.

There are health reasons in the mix too. Around 20 percent of the Saudi population battles obesity and exercise is a massive step forward in tackling that. Moreover, sports in the country has seen a substantial lift in women’s participation and the recent introduction of the Saudi Women’s Football Team on the international stage is backed by the fact that the Saudi Women’s League is perhaps the best in West Asia, despite being formed only in 2022.

These sizeable investments across the sports spectrum have led to an enhanced global image and many people could be forgiven for thinking that sports, particularly football, is a recent phenomenon in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. That, however, couldn’t be further from the truth.

The Saudi Pro League and, in particular, larger Saudi clubs such as Al-Ittihad, Al-Nassr and Al-Ahli have been the toast of Asian football for the past 50-odd years. But none surpass the legacy of Al-Hilal, who are arguably the biggest football club on the continent and boast a massive 70+ trophy haul, alongside eight Asian titles, since their formation in 1957.

Even before they were equipped with the massive coffers of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), the big four were always well organised, boasted fanatic fan bases and played at giant, modern stadiums. Since their effective takeover, the main difference is the vision. The SPL itself has ambitious plans of becoming a top-three league globally — an arduous task considering the current pace of European football and its substantial head-start.

But Saudi Arabia thinks big and walks the talk. Just take a look at the 2034 FIFA World Cup bid itself, which promises a global bonanza, featuring 15 stadiums (11 of them newly built) across five venues.

Some of the proposals are audacious (especially the ones upcoming at NEOM, a futuristic city planned near the Red Sea) but the country has done its homework and was awarded the highest bid marks in history after undergoing assessment from FIFA.

Hosting the World Cup represents perhaps the tail-end of the kingdom’s journey in becoming a global centre for sports and entertainment, but the revamp undertaken is already beginning to show progress. Backed by the PIF, clubs in the SPL have managed to bring in big names from Europe, including Cristiano Ronaldo, who joined Riyadh’s Al-Nassr, and fellow global superstar Neymar, who joined Al-Nassr’s arch-rivals Al-Hilal across the city.

Their impact has been immediate, resulting in a substantial jump for the League’s overall income, which is now being targeted to reach $480 million — putting it close to or surpassing what the J-League of Japan and K-League of Korea, the biggest two leagues in the Asian Football Confederation, earn annually.

With enhanced league revenues and the path to greater professionalism being undertaken by various clubs in the country, the ecosystem will become much more sustainable and result in better talent being produced for the Green Falcons — a team that has won three Asian Cups and famously beat Lionel Messi’s Argentina at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

However, like most ambitious global projects, Saudi Arabia has attracted its share of criticism, especially from the West. There were calls for FIFA to investigate or perhaps even drop the idea of awarding the World Cup to the kingdom, based on their perspective of human rights violations. One genuinely wonders whether this is hypocrisy, malintent or ignorance, considering what is happening right around the corner in the Middle East and which is simply excluded from discussion when it comes to sports and politics.

Nonetheless, Saudi Arabia has stated its ambitions to become the next big thing in sports and they have spent heavily in the last five years across nearly every sport imaginable to prove their seriousness. And now, after being given rights to host the biggest sporting event in the world, they are well on their way to becoming that.

The 2034 FIFA World Cup is just the crown jewel they were hoping to land.

The writer is a sports management and marketing expert. X: @shahrukhsohail7

Published in Dawn, EOS, December 22nd, 2024