The World Cup, held in three countries—the United States, Mexico, and Canada—has concluded, achieving record attendance in stadiums with 104 matches played after increasing the number of teams from 32 to 48. Over more than a month, the tournament garnered massive global viewership exceeding 6 billion people. However, what stands out is the stadiums in the main host country, the United States, which did not build any stadiums in preparation for the tournament, but rather made some adjustments to meet FIFA standards, as it already possesses advanced infrastructure and a large number of high-capacity stadiums.

These stadiums are owned by the private sector, or by club owners in the United States, or by cities that lease them to their clubs; this generates income from profitable investment due to the extensive sports activities in the U.S. with a population of nearly 400 million. This approach to stadium construction and ownership stems from the nature of the free American economy, yet it represents a positive model when its benefits are considered: it creates a new investment activity and optimal use of land instead of repeating traditional projects like markets and shopping malls on large plots. Additionally, if a regional municipality builds a stadium in a major city, it also generates income to support its service funding, and it is a beneficial investment that diversifies the facilities owned by each city undertaking such projects. Moreover, adopting this approach with criteria set by the Ministry of Sports that align with the requirements of continental and international football federations would mean rapid completion with specifications that include several services, helping to attract crowds to the stadium as a form of day-tourism.

The recent World Cup presents a great opportunity to study the benefits of stadiums built through the private sector, in order to apply them in some of our major cities via REITs, real estate funds, or companies interested in such investments. This will contribute to the rapid completion of an adequate number of stadiums in record time, especially after the launch of the sports project. This approach also aligns with the major transformation in the football industry and its economic and entertainment benefits, which can be leveraged for the World Cup to be held in the Kingdom in 2034.

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