Saudi Arabia has decided that regular stadiums are for peasants. The kingdom has just unveiled plans for the world’s first-ever Sky Stadium, a massive sports arena suspended 350 meters above the ground. Yes, apparently hosting a World Cup on Earth wasn’t dramatic enough, so they’re taking the game to the clouds.
Critics are calling it “excessive.” Saudi Arabia calls it “innovation.” Meanwhile, football fans everywhere are wondering if beer will be allowed, or if they’ll just have to sip clouds.
And imagine the commentary on a stadium built above 350 meters from the ground? It would be exciting and a lifetime experience though.
The AI generated images show a venue perched atop a SKYSCRAPER.
The stadium is expected to boast a capacity of 46,000 at an altitude of 350m above ground.
For comparison, that figure is 40m higher than the top of The Shard, Britain’s tallest building.
The new AI vision seems to be a new concept for one of a series of futuristic stadiums planned for construction ahead of Saudi Arabia‘s hosting of the 2034 World Cup.
The nation released 15 concepts for high-tech stadiums to be completed before the tournament arrives in August of last year.
Among those was an idea for ‘NEOM Stadium,’ a ground set to be built atop the ambitious – and as yet unbuilt – NEOM ‘The Line’, an entire city meant to be built in a single long sideways skyscraper.
The specifications in regard to height and capacity remain the same between the concepts.
However, the new visuals appear to have done away with the idea of building the ground on top of the linear city, and instead have the stadium above a more traditional skyscraper.
The original plan was to begin construction on the stadium in 2027, and have it completed by 2032, ready to host games at the World Cup two years later.
Among the other grounds slated for construction ahead of the tournament, one highlight is the King Salman Stadium, the biggest of the proposed venues.
The ground is set to house 92,000 people and serve as the new home of the Saudi national team.
Still, you have to hand it to Saudi Arabia: they don’t dream small. While most nations are arguing over stadium parking, Saudi is out here building arenas in the clouds.
So yes, get ready for the world’s first aerial World Cup!
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