From Super Cups to Grand Prix: How Saudi Arabia is using sport to sell the Kingdom
Over the past few years, Saudi Arabia has become an unavoidable presence on the global sporting calendar. From hosting Formula 1 races to staging elite European football competitions, the Kingdom’s investment in sport has increased massively. What looked like a series of isolated sporting events now looks like a coordinated economic strategy, designed to reshape Saudi Arabia’s image and, more importantly, its tourism economy.
At the centre of the shift is Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia’s long-term plan to reduce its reliance on oil revenues and diversify into sectors such as tourism and entertainment. Sport has emerged as one of the biggest tools. According to Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki bin Faisal, Saudi Arabia’s minister of sport:
“In the past four years, 80 international sporting events staged in the Kingdom have attracted 2.5 million tourists.”
Those figures are evidence that these types of major events are beginning to convert global audiences into physical visitors.
Formula 1 offers one of the clearest examples of this approach. Since the introduction of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah, the race has been positioned not just as a sporting contest, but as a global showcase for the wider country.
Reflecting on its impact, Prince Abdulaziz said:
“Formula 1 in Jeddah welcomed attendees from 160 nationalities, created 20,000 jobs, and generated a SR 900 million ($240 million) economic impact on the city.”
The figures help justify the high costs associated with hosting premium international sports.
Football also followed this pattern. Saudi Arabia decided to host the Spanish Super Cup under a long-term agreement with the Royal Spanish Football Federation. It drew criticism due to human rights debates, which have been denied, but it showed the Kingdom’s willingness to pay for globally recognised sporting properties. The deal was reported to be around $120 million. It has ensured repeated visits by elite European clubs, broadcasters and travelling supporters.
LaLiga President Javier Tebas explains the reasoning to pick the Kingdom:
“It is much better to go places where they want to grow like Saudi, than the other places. It is a matter of much promotion.”
In economic terms, these events are designed to deliver more matchday revenue, increased hotel occupancy and wider consumer spending.
The broader tourism data suggests that Saudi Arabia is beginning to see returns. In 2024, the Kingdom was ranked first globally in tourism revenue growth. They have surpassed the initial 100 million tourist goal, and are aiming to attract 150 million visitors annually by 2030. This would place Saudi Arabia among the world’s leading tourism destinations. 230,000 hotel rooms are planned to support the 2034 FIFA world cup: Saudi Arabia’s constantly thinking bigger.
Yet, questions remain. How sustainable is a model that relies on state spending and subsidies to attract global sport? Saudi Arabia shows little sign of stopping, continuing to understand and therefore encourage sport into their country. Sport is more than a spectacle: it is a gateway to turn television audiences into travellers and sporting headlines into long-term economic transformation.
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