Al-Ekhbareya features Strategic Gears in Saudi Arabia 2034 World Cup special

Strategic Gears has been featured on national Saudi TV in a special report on Saudi Arabia’s bid for the 2034 World Cup.

Saudi TV station Al-Ekhbareya invited Strategic Gears to share its views on the significance of bringing the World Cup to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and how it could propel the nation and its sports landscape to new heights.

The Saudi management consulting firm was picked for the feature thanks to a comprehensive report which it released ahead of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. That report provided in-depth insight on the economic and societal impact of hosting a World Cup, with the analysis spanning the editions in Qatar (2022), Russia (2018), Brazil (2014), South Africa (2010), and Germany (2006).

With Saudi Arabia the runaway favourite to win the bid for the 2034 World Cup, and expected to receive a formal nod at a FIFA congress later this year, the report from Strategic Gears initially released in the summer of 2022 has returned to the spotlights.

Among the insights, the report found that expenditures from visitors and World Cup-related revenues have lifted the GDP of hosting countries. In Qatar, the economic contribution to GDP reached 4% in 2022, compared to 1.5% growth in the year previous.

Leading the discussion with Al-Ekhbareya was Ahmad Abzakh, a Riyadh-based associate partner at Strategic Gears.

The interview with Abzakh focused on three topics: the significance of Saudi Arabia hosting the 2034 World Cup for the Kingdom and the region, and the impact of the mega event on the nation’s sports sector. Abzakh also discussed some of the qualitative leaps Saudi’s sports sector has taken in recent years, such as securing hosting rights for many large-scale sporting events in football, tennis, golf, racing, and more.

In his work with clients, Abzakh advises on topics such as strategy, investment planning, financial sustainability, product development and pricing, revenue maximization, business and financial modeling and data analytics. He has served many entities within the public and private sectors, mainly in the areas of transportation (sea ports and ride hailing), financial sector, special economic zones, labor market, and intellectual property.

Strategic Gears has gained significant media attention in recent months. Earlier in August, director Anas Kamal made an appearance on national television to discuss the firm’s latest ‘Economic Outlook’ report on national TV.