Neom SC or the path to becoming the richest club in the world with a stadium 350 meters high in the middle of the desert

Among all the megalomaniacal delusions with which Saudi Arabia aims to change its image abroad, Neom stands out, a colossal urban development project in the northwestern province of Tabuk. Since 2018, the royal family has been loudly promoting this futuristic utopia, which includes The Line , a city made up of a single row of skyscrapers, 170 km long, 500 meters high, and 200 meters wide, designed for nine million inhabitants.

Much less known, however, are the plans of Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman for Neom SC, a modest club recently promoted to the Saudi first division. Meanwhile, British journalist James Montague has traveled to the region to assess their progress, which he has compiled in Engulfed: How Saudi Arabia Bought Sport (Bonnier Books, 2025), a book that will be released in Spain at the end of the year. Before that, EL MUNDO spoke with the author to shed some more light on Neom SC, the team that is already rivaling Real Madrid, Manchester City, and PSG to become the richest in the world.

"The access is very complicated and it seems impossible to get there, but of course it can be done. There are hotels and resorts open, although completely empty, so at the moment it's very difficult to understand the true scale," Montague begins, referring to the work on The Line , which has been slowed down in recent months due to its exorbitant costs.

From the initial budget of $500 billion, the figure has fallen to four times that. This all seems insufficient for the crown jewel of Vision 2030 , the plan with which Bin Salman aims to diversify the economy and reduce its dependence on oil. And in this frenetic display of soft power, football plays a key role.

On December 11, FIFA designated Saudi Arabia as the sole host of the 2034 World Cup. This was the greatest triumph, in terms of image, for an autocratic regime that had already invested enormous sums in the LIV golf circuit, Formula 1, and boxing and mixed martial arts events. Through its sovereign wealth fund (FIP), the Saudi monarchy also didn't hesitate to buy Newcastle, the recent English League Cup champion, and to sign Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema , and Neymar , stars of the Saudi Pro League (the Brazilian is no longer with the club).

What has happened more quietly was their commitment to Neom SC. Much like Red Bull in Leipzig or Salzburg, the royal family tracked down a humble team, located in the small town of Tabuk, took the reins to rebuild it and use it as a promotional vehicle. Last January, they brought in Algerian striker Saïd Benrahma from Olympique Lyonnais, as a complement to the signings of Salman Al-Faraj , captain of the Saudi national team, and Egyptian Ahmed Hegazi , formerly of West Brom.

The short-term priority was to include the club among the country's big four (Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr, both from Riyadh, plus Al-Ittihad and Al-Ahli, in Jeddah). "I would be surprised if Neom SC didn't sign other big names next season, even some of the most important," predicts Montague , for whom the long-term goal will be "winning the FIFA Club World Cup."

Big names

Just a month ago, Sky Sports reported Neom's interest in Kevin de Bruyne , a veteran looking for new horizons after 10 years at Manchester City. Other recent rumors point to Jorginho , who is out of Mikel Arteta's plans at Arsenal, and André Onana , the Manchester United goalkeeper. If they go through, these deals would have to pass the filter of the now-famous committee that regulates signings in Saudi Arabia. "That way, they ensure competitive balance and prevent one team from monopolizing everything," explains Montague . Needless to say, the final decision-making would rest with the Crown Prince.

" Bin Salman has become personally involved and has high expectations for Neom. The fact that the World Cup will also be held there demonstrates the importance of the sporting project. In light of all this, it seems clear that Neom is too big to fail," the journalist adds, referring to the turmoil aired last November following the departure of CEO Nadhmi al-Nasr .

Unstoppable project

According to an internal audit obtained by The New York Times, labor shortages and electricity problems are causing multiple delays and cost overruns. In any case, Montague sees no reason to fear contagion to football: "Neom hasn't collapsed. What's happening is that it was all born out of excessive ambition."

The author of Engulfed, on the other hand, prefers to focus on the futuristic Neom stadium, designed to be 350 meters high—something like the Empire State Building—and embedded between gigantic glass walls on the shores of the Red Sea. "They've shortened their timeframes and their ambitions. The initial 170 kilometers of The Line will be reduced to just two, where they will build the World Cup venue," he analyzes about this colossal engineering feat, powered by renewable energy. "Although they act quite secretively, we can tell that something huge is happening by the large number of Asian workers going there and the enormous amount of steel being shipped there, no less than 20% of global production," he concludes.