Saudi Arabia changes its approach to building The Line: the project is now tied to demand

The project is retained, but with a new development logic

The giant linear city The Line, conceived as part of Saudi Arabia's NEOM megaproject, is still present on the project's official website, but the description has changed: it now emphasizes long-term significance, phased development, and adaptation to economic demand, reports Kun.uz. The concept still envisions housing, jobs, services, and cultural spaces located in close proximity to one another, while the basic principles remain the use of renewable energy and the protection of the surrounding desert, mountain, and coastal ecosystems.

What has changed compared to the original vision

In its original concept, The Line was described as a city 170 kilometers long, 500 meters high, and 200 meters wide; the first renderings showed two parallel giant structures with a mirrored exterior. The official page contains no announcement of a complete abandonment of the project, but it also offers no new overall timeline showing when all construction work will be completed. In other words, the confirmed change concerns not the project's existence, but the logic of its implementation: instead of delivering the entire city at once — phased construction depending on demand.

Revised scale and the fate of the stadium

As early as July 2025, reports emerged that Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund had hired consultants to assess the project's feasibility. At that time, a revision of the scope of the first phase and of the population planned to be housed there was discussed — that is, abandoning the plan to deliver all 170 kilometers of the city at once. One of the most prominent elements of the original idea was a football stadium inside The Line. In early October, Reuters, citing two informed sources, reported that construction of this arena had been postponed indefinitely; Saudi officials have not openly confirmed when work might resume. At the same time, as Kun.uz notes, this concerns a specific facility, not an official decision to abandon the development of NEOM as a whole.

The stadium is still in the bid for the 2034 World Cup

Despite the report of the postponement, on Saudi Arabia's bid website for the 2034 FIFA World Cup the stadium is still presented in its original form: more than 46,000 spectator seats and a football pitch at an altitude of more than 350 meters above the ground, with the arena planned to be handed over to a professional football club after the tournament. Thus, at present there is a discrepancy between the construction status reported by Reuters and the official presentation of the facility in the tournament bid; there is no final confirmation of timelines from the Saudi authorities.