Saudi Arabia’s massive sports infrastructure investments will be judged by their legacy
To support major events such as the FIFA World Cup 2034 and the Asian Games 2034, Saudi Arabia is undertaking a vast programme of sports infrastructure development. While much attention is focused on delivery, Kailash Nagdev, partner at The Sports Consultancy, believes that the true measure of success will be the legacy these investments build long past the actual events.
Saudi Arabia is entering what many describe as its ‘golden sports decade’. In the coming ten years, the Kingdom will host more major sports events than most countries manage in a generation. These include the FIFA World Cup 2034, he Asian Games, a packed calendar of Formula 1, golf, tennis, boxing, and esports.
This will see the sports market grow to a projected $22.4 billion by 2030, up from ‘just’ $1.3 billion in 2016, with $2.7 billion committed to facility development by 2028. Construction on 15 new smart stadiums is underway.
Ensuring that these massive investments are spent wisely is a major matter of importance. The infrastructure decisions being made right now will either create a lasting sports legacy for the Kingdom – facilities that are used daily by communities, clubs, and the next generation of athletes – or venues that lie dormant, waiting for the next major event to justify their existence.
There are plenty of examples around the world where infrastructure investments tied to mega sporting events turned out to be less effective.
Infrastructure investments
One of the key success factors lies in the design: cities that nurtured a lasting legacy started with demand, not ambition. And those insights are backed by data.
For example, after London 2012, 106 community facilities were upgraded across the city, and 400,000 Londoners participated in grassroots sport through the Mayor of London Sport Legacy programme. Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park now attracts more than 6 million visitors a year – not because of what’s in the concourse. The Olympic Delivery Authority locked community legacy into the design of every venue from the very beginning.
Ahead of FIFA 2026, American host cities are building legacy plans around youth sports access, grassroots partnerships, and community infrastructure investment. Way before the first kick-off, legacy-building was baked into the very first infrastructure decision made.
Saudi Arabia’s case
In Saudi Arabia, participation rates have risen from 13% of the population exercising regularly in 2015 to 50% today. Female participation has grown 400% in the same period. This is a road map of where people are already playing, where demand exists, and critically, where the gaps are.
The next Saudi Olympian – in athletics, taekwondo, para-powerlifting, sport climbing, or a discipline we haven’t yet developed at a national scale – is a child right now. They will not be discovered by a World Cup. They will be discovered by a coach, in a facility, connected to a programme, in the right community.
Saudi Arabia has won just four Olympic medals in its entire history. The next generation are being raised now. Their futures lie in the decisions we make today.
The difference between a 20% utilised venue and an 80% utilised one is not design – it is demand & supply modelling. Without aligned federation pathways, even perfectly located infrastructure will not translate into elite performance. And for city planners and developers: sports infrastructure is no longer a cost centre. It is a driver of residential value, community activation, and long-term asset yield.
The Saudi Arabia standard to set
FIFA 2034 will be one of the most significant sporting and economic moments in the Kingdom’s history – a global stage. That milestone deserves to be celebrated.
But the generations that follow will not judge this decade by the tournament. They will judge it by what was left behind – the clubs, the coaches, the pathways, and the facilities that turned a moment of inspiration into a lifetime of participation. That is the enduring legacy to aim for by 2044. It doesn’t happen by accident. It is designed from the data up. And it will be judged by its legacy.
