Overview

The book offers a rigorous and non-conventional scholarly reading of Saudi Arabia's project to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup, treating it as one of the most ambitious strategic transformation initiatives in the history of global sport, rather than as a mere operational bid for a one-off sporting event. Drawing on a multidisciplinary analytical framework that integrates sport management, economics, urban planning, strategic communication, and international relations, the book examines how the hosting of mega-sporting events has become a powerful instrument for re-engineering economic and social development models, reshaping international image and reputation, and strengthening states' geopolitical positioning. The analysis begins with an in-depth examination of the national transformation context in Saudi Arabia and situates the World Cup project within the broader framework of Saudi Vision 2030, considering the tournament as a key catalyst for economic diversification, the development of an integrated sport economy, human capital formation, and the redefinition of the relationship between sport and sustainable development. The author further deconstructs the economic and financial foundations underpinning the hosting strategy, ranging from the role of the sovereign wealth fund -namely the Public Investment Fund- to smart financing mechanisms, public-private partnerships, and long-term revenue-maximization models designed to ensure financial sustainability. The volume makes a distinctive contribution to the literature on mega-event studies by mobilizing Saudi Arabia's unique expertise in managing extremely large-scale crowds -most notably through the operational experience of the Hajj season- and by assessing the transferability of these organizational, logistical, and security capabilities to the hosting of a football World Cup. At the same time, the book offers a balanced and critical examination of political, media, environmental, and climate-related challenges, reputation risks, and the increasingly competitive global landscape surrounding the hosting of football mega-events. This book is addressed to policymakers, researchers, students of sport management, urban planners, and professionals in the global events industry. It provides an integrated analytical framework for understanding how hosting the World Cup in Saudi Arabia can evolve from a global sporting spectacle into a comprehensive development project, a soft-power diplomatic instrument, and a platform for building a sustainable legacy capable of reshaping the Kingdom's position within the global sport and economic order.

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