Saudi Arabia's soccer dreams tested as Vision 2030 goal posts move

As of this writing, the Saudi Pro League (SPL) hasn't made any splashy additions ahead of its 2024 summer transfer window, which runs from July 18 to early October and last year saw names such as Karim Benzema, Neymar and more join Ronaldo in the kingdom. That spree, backed by the country’s sovereign wealth fund, included awarding massive contracts and racked up about $1 billion in transfer fees as the SPL plundered famous (albeit largely aging) talents from Europe’s top clubs, helping Saudi Arabia become a new center of gravity in professional soccer.

In 2024 spending on new players appears unlikely to reach even a fraction of last year’s amid signs that priorities are shifting and Riyadh’s largess has limits. That said, foreign talent is still on offer — for instance, 34-year-old former Real Madrid captain Nacho Fernandez is set to join SPL club Al-Qadsiah this summer — but dreams of getting Mbappe and other sensational talents in their prime to play in Saudi Arabia now seem increasingly distant. “One imagines there will be an assortment of SPL signings, especially as the country’s clubs somewhat underperformed in the Asian Champions League last season,” said Simon Chadwick, a professor of sport and geopolitical economy at France’s SKEMA Business School. “However, one senses there are bigger, more important matters afoot.”

Crucially, this is playing out as Saudi Arabia in 2024 has been cutting funding and reducing costs on projects being developed under its Vision 2030 economic diversification agenda, a plan including big bets on sports and entertainment. It’s still unclear how this will ultimately impact investments into soccer, golf, boxing and beyond, but this still makes this an important moment amid the kingdom’s aspirations to become a sports global heavyweight, which includes a goal of turning the SPL into one of the world’s top 10 soccer leagues. “Saudi Arabia’s great sport project is not over, but after the initial euphoria come the practical realities of successfully delivering the project,” said Chadwick.

Shifting Vision 2030 goal posts