Newcastle United stadium consultants unveil ambitious 92,000-seater Saudi Arabia World Cup plans

As Newcastle United plot where to go next in regards to staying or leaving St James' Park, one of the architectural design groups consulted over the Magpies' expansion study - Populous - have unveiled incredible plans for Saudi Arabia's 2034 World Cup bid.

The Middle Eastern country is firmly expected to host the showpiece in a decade's time and, as such, a lavish set of plans have been revealed showing some of the ambitious stadium designs drawn up for the event.

The star of the show is undoubtedly the 92,000-capacity facility planned for Riyadh, which is expected to house the Saudi national team, include an Olympic-sized swimming pool, an indoor sports hall, a Royal Box, 2500 VIP seats and other luxuries extras. The Saudi Ministry of Sports this week unveiled a promotional video using CGI, to showcase their bold plans for the tournament.

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As well as the 92,000-seater, there is also plans for Populous to oversee the building of the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Stadium, King Fahad International Stadium and Aramco Stadium as part of 11 venues the country plans to erect ahead of the tournament.

Newcastle United's majority owners - the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund [PIF] - have piled vast resources into the country's 'Vision 2030' initiative, which aims to transform the nation into a global hub for sports and culture.

Back at home, Newcastle are in need of their own stadium decision as the club take the decision whether to remain at their current location and expand, or seek to build a new state of the art stadium elsewhere.

Late last year Newcastle were said to have consulted with Populous as they assessed each and every option for their own stadium plans. This, after the firm designed Tottenham Hotspur's £1.2billion stadium in north London. Since then, a feasibility study has been conducted by the Magpies, with the findings expected to be made public in early 2025.

Tottenham's ambitious stadium switch has dramatically increased the club's revenue streams and has offered match-going fans a wider range of pre and post-match options with regards to merchandise, food and drink and in-house activities.

Declan Sharkey, the senior director and principal at Populous, recently told the Leaders in Sport conference: "People are at the heart of everything we do and if you deliver the right experience, revenue will follow."

Newcastle’s chief operations officer Brad Miller, who has vast experience overseeing transformational infrastructure projects, has described the club's stadium decision as a ‘once-in-a-lifetime opportunity’ - with those involved taking their time to ensure the right solution is found for the north east outfit.