SAUDI ARABIA revealed designs today for a high-tech stadium atop a 200-metre-high cliff near Riyadh where the autocratic kingdom plans to stage games at the 2034 Men’s World Cup.

The 45,000-seat venue design has a retractable roof and field, plus an LED wall with hundreds of metres of screens to create an “immersive” experience for fans, the Qiddiya Investment Company (QIC) said in a statement.

It will be named Prince Mohammed bin Salman Stadium, after the blood-soaked crown prince of the oil-rich kingdom who ordered the brutal assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.

The Western-backed absolute monarchy hopes to become a major player in world sports over the next decade, an attempt to sportswash its climate-wrecking, human rights abusing image.

The stadium is a centrepiece of the Qiddiya City project, which aims to create an entertainment, gaming and sports hub 30 miles from Riyadh, the Saudi capital.

The QIC is wholly owned by the Public Investment Fund, which is chaired by the despotic prince. It manages about $700 billion (£550bn) in Saudi sovereign wealth and includes investments in the LIV Golf project and English Premier League club Newcastle.

The QIC said the new stadium is intended to become the home venue of al-Nassr and al-Hilal, the Riyadh clubs who last year signed Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar, respectively.

Saudi Arabia is the only bidder to host the men’s World Cup in 2034, with Fifa set to confirm its pick late this year in a confirmation vote by more than 200 national football federations.

Fifa has said 14 stadiums will be needed for the 48-team tournament.