---

Saudi Arabia Take Steps To Become A Superpower In Sports

Saudi Arabia has been getting involved in various sports like football, golf, and tennis, and now they have set their sights on cricket. Cricket often hailed as a religion in many parts of the world is now catching the eye of nations that have traditionally focused on other sports. Among these nations, Saudi Arabia stands out as a notable newcomer. The Middle Eastern country has huge plans when it comes to the world of cricket, which include but are not limited to launching its own cricket league and luring various cricketing superstars from around the world. This article talks about the steps Saudi Arabia is taking to venture into the world of cricket.

Saudi Arabia’s Investment Into Cricket

Saudi Arabia has already tried venturing into football, promoting the Saudi Pro League by investing a lot of money into the sport and bringing in a plethora of stars, including one of the biggest names in football, Cristiano Ronaldo. The Saudi Pro League has gained a lot of attention since they brought in Ronaldo, with various popular footballers like Neymar, Sadio Mane, and Karim Benzema following suit. This has helped the league build a massive amount of traction and attention, especially on social media. Saudi Arabia wants to try and replicate this success in cricket as well and thinks they can manage to do that.

🚨 A CRICKET LEAGUE BY SAUDI ARABIA. 🚨

– Saudi Arabia is planning to launch an eight-team league worth $500 million, with matches to be played in four different locations and the final to be held in Saudi Arabia. (The Age) pic.twitter.com/K5IAEzDQtV

— 𝙎𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙞 (@CallMeSheri1) March 15, 2025

Over the past few years, Saudi has been making headlines for its bold initiatives aimed at diversifying its economy and elevating its cultural footprint beyond oil. They plan to improve the country’s economic growth by diversifying into sports and by becoming one of the central hubs for sports all around the world. Saudi Arabia plans to venture into the world of cricket by introducing a new Grand-Slam-style circuit of T20 tournaments. A lot of details are not available regarding this tournament, but it may see eight teams from around the world playing four tournaments in a year, each tournament envisaged to last 10-12 days.

Saudi Arabia aims to use sports as a means to help the country’s economy by boosting tourism. They intend to change their image to just be an ‘oil country’ and become a place where people want to visit and live. They have also shown that they are ready to change even the rules of their country to accommodate sports stars. One of the biggest changes has been Saudi Arabia allowing unmarried foreign couples to stay together in a hotel room, something which had always been illegal. This shows their willingness to change and try to use sports to build their country’s image and become the new hub of worldwide sports.

Which Sports Have Saudi Arabia Diversified Into?

Saudi Arabia has already ventured into multiple sports and is actively trying to get involved even further. These sports have been mentioned below:

Football

Credit: BBC

The biggest stride that Saudi Arabia has taken into the world of sports is most definitely into football. They financed the Saudi Pro League to make various huge transfers and bring in huge names like Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar Jr, and Karim Benzema. This has helped the Saudi Pro League develop into one of the best football leagues worldwide. Aside from advancing their own league, they have also used the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF) to invest in football teams like Newcastle United. In fact, Saudi Arabia is also set to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup, which can be a huge step for Saudi in the world of sports.

Since Cristiano Ronaldo joined the Saudi Pro League, there has been a 20% increase in stadium attendance during his home matches, and a 15% rise in attendance when Ronaldo played in away games. The 2023/24 SPL season witnessed a record-breaking total attendance of 2,496,510 fans, marking the highest in the league’s history. Signing such super stars will always help you bring in the crowd and viewership and is a good place to start building a new league.

Golf

JUST IN: The PGA Tour has agreed to merge with Saudi-backed rival LIV Golf. https://t.co/Nz6LcMvg4Y pic.twitter.com/iofYqkxWtN

— CNBC (@CNBC) June 6, 2023

The Saudi Arabia PIF has launched ‘LIV Golf’, a rival to the PGA Tour. Their investment in the sport led to a merger between LIV Gold and the PGA Tour, which will allow Saudi to explore the world of golf further.

Motorsports

Saudi Arabia already hosts the Formula One Grand Prix in Jeddah, but it wants to expand its involvement in Motorsports and has also started investing in electric car racing, trying to enter the entertaining world of Formula E.

Tennis

Djokovic @DjokerNole, Nadal @RafaelNadal, Alcaraz @Carlosalcaraz, Sinner @janniksin, Medvedev @daniilMedwed, and Rune @holgerrune2003

6 Kings 👑 One Throne 🎾 Who will emerge victorious in the ultimate battle at this Riyadh Season? 🔥🇸🇦

The Venue 📍
October 16 – 17 – 19 🗓️… pic.twitter.com/qumLRFPpQS

— TURKI ALALSHIKH (@Turki_alalshikh) September 28, 2024

Saudi Arabia has already started trying to get involved in the world of tennis. They recently hosted the 6 King Slam, an exhibition tournament held in Riyadh. They will look to host even more tournaments in the future and make tennis a mainstay in the country.

Boxing

Saudi Arabia has hosted several major boxing events, including the Anthony Joshua vs. Andy Ruiz Jr. rematch. The country wants to continue attracting such major fights to help sports grow even further, especially in Saudi Arabia.

Esports

Esports have been on the rise for quite a while now, and Saudi Arabia has decided to get in on it early and ride the wave. The Esports World Cup in Riyadh offers the largest combined prize pool in esports history. This initiative is part of the National Gaming and Esports Strategy, which aims to position the country as a global gaming hub by 2030.

Horse Racing

Saudi Arabia hosts the Saudi Cup, one of the world’s richest horse racing tournaments. Various international competitors participate in it.

Snooker

Saudi Arabia is also looking to venture into snooker, and talks have been ongoing about potentially relocating the Snooker World Championship from Sheffield to Saudi. While unlikely, this would be huge for Saudi if it does end up happening.

---

ALSO READ: Top 10 Most Sixes Hit In Cricket History

---

Which Star Cricketers Are Saudi Arabia Targeting?

Saudi Arabia is trying to take a similar approach in cricket to football. They will need star power to bring in views, especially in a newly launched league. Bringing in Cristiano Ronaldo to play in the Saudi Pro League was a masterful move by Saudi Arabia, and they aim to replicate this by bringing in big cricket names like Virat Kohli to agree to play in their new league. It has been said that Kohli was offered a $300 Million per year deal by Saudi, but he rejected it. However, there is no doubt that they will try to sign who is arguably the biggest name in cricket once more in the future.

Big Breaking: Virat Kohli received an offer worth $300 million a year from the Saudi Cricket Federation, but he rejected it. He stated that he is committed to playing for India and making the nation proud 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/TZSKQveIGQ

— Daksh (@82MCG_) August 27, 2023

If Virat Kohli does end up agreeing to a deal with Saudi, deals with players like Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya, as well as cricketers from other countries like Pat Cummins, Travis Head, Ben Stokes, etc., will not be far off. This will definitely be the best way to go for Saudi Arabia because if they want to gain traction and attention for their newly formed league, they will definitely sign some major players, especially Indian cricketers, given that India is the largest user base in the world when it comes to cricket.

Saudi Arabia Wants A Stake In IPL

Credit: DNA India

Saudi Arabia’s investment in cricket is not limited to local tournaments. They are also eyeing a potential stake in the Indian Premier League (IPL), one of the world’s most lucrative T20 leagues. Reports suggest that the Saudi government and private investors are keen to partner with IPL franchises or even form new teams to enter the competition. PIF reportedly approached the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) with a proposal to establish a holding company that would own the IPL and potentially receive investment in the ballpark of $5 Billion. Saudi Arabia also intends to establish its own T20 league, but no concrete plans have been put into motion.

Saudi Arabia already has a significant commercial footprint in the IPL through its state-owned oil giant Aramco. They are the Orange Cap and Purple Cap sponsors in the Indian Premier League, which are awarded to the top run-scorer and wicket-taker of the season, respectively. The sponsorship is seen as part of Aramco’s broader sports marketing strategy, leveraging the IPL’s massive viewership to build brand recognition in South Asia and globally. This partnership will also allow Saudi to establish themselves further in the world of cricket.

Is Saudi Arabia’s Approach Sustainable?

While Saudi Arabia’s approach to developing cricket shows promise, its sustainability remains a question. Critics argue that wealth-driven sports ventures often lack the grassroots engagement necessary for long-term success. We have seen time and time again that leagues that are driven primarily by money do not seem to last for too long due to the lack of attention to local growth. Saudi Arabia can start off by investing money and bringing in stars, but it will need to concentrate on developing and building local talent if it wants its league to be a long-term success like the Indian Premier League.

It is unlikely that Saudi Arabia will become a superpower in the world of cricket anytime soon, but they are most certainly taking steps in the right direction. By expanding their reach into various sports, they are making a name for themselves as the hub of sports worldwide. Their investment into the world of cricket, whether it be local leagues or into getting global cricket superstars to act as ambassadors and players, may end up being extremely fruitful, and if they utilise this opportunity well, they can well become one of the biggest cricketing countries in the world.

For more news articles and informative updates on Saudi Arabia entering the world of cricket as well as other football and cricket updates, keep reading GutshotMagazine.com.

---

---

More News

---

Comments