Football

Anyone who has been in Saudi Arabia during the World Cup will know how football crazy the Saudis are.

The roads are deserted – as if it were a Friday morning – whilst the entire population is glued to their television sets watching the matches.

If you have the urge to kick a football around yourself, you will have no difficulty finding someone who knows of a team in need of new players. The expatriate compounds, of course, are focal hubs for ‘friendly’ matches to be played.

 

And most Saudi ‘istirahas’ will have their fair share of football games being played in the evenings and weekends.

If you want to go and watch professional football, there are also ample opportunities to do so. The really important matches are played in the King Fahd Stadium but there are plenty of other stadia dotted around the capital – such as Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium and Al-Saigh Stadium – where semi-professional games can be seen.

The easiest way to find out what games are being played is to ask virtually any Saudi! But the newspapers on Thursdays also have details.

King Fahd Stadium

Located on the eastern side of Riyadh, the King Fahd International Stadium is a two-tier, circular Olympic stadium capable of seating 70,000 people.

It was constructed in 1987 by the British firm Ian Fraser, John Roberts and Partners together with Ain Friezer and Partners who designed it as an international FIFA football field.

With its tent-like roof structure giving it a magnificent crown, you can see it from miles away; but one of the best views you can get of it may well be as you fly in to Riyadh.

The 24 teflon-coated fibreglass roof masts, arranged around a 247 metre diameter circle, cantilever 56 metres over the seating area, providing shade to spectators.

It’s the largest stadium cover in the world, covering a plan area of 47,000 square metres. Under the seating are three levels of support services and public facilities. There are numerous sporting fixtures played here.

King Fahd Stadium can be found on the far eastern edge of the city, visible from miles away.

From Kingdom Centre, go south down Olaya Street or King Fahd Highway until you meet the Makkah-Khureis Road and turn eastwards.

Cross the eastern ring road and travel roughly the same distance again. The stadium will be on your left.

24 47.1’ N, 46 50.1’ E