RIYADH: Saudi Arabia is recognized as one of football’s fastest-rising nations, but there was a noticeable shift in tone on the first day of the World Football Summit, which returns to Riyadh for the second consecutive year.
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Instead of conversations about which global superstar would arrive next, speakers touched on the foundations of Saudi football — infrastructure, governance and sustainable growth.
WFS brings together leaders from around the world to explore how football can evolve, from ticketing systems to artificial intelligence models offering deeper player insights. Yet it was the future of Saudi football — particularly its trajectory in the lead-up to the 2034 FIFA World Cup — that dominated the main stage.
The event’s first panel, “Saudi Sport — A Changing Landscape with a Bright Future,” moderated by Ben Jacobs, featured Ibrahim Al-Moaiqel of the Ministry of Sport. He emphasized the Kingdom’s privatization program was not simply about selling clubs but “bringing partners with the know-how to develop them.”
