logo
episode-header-image
Nov 2023
17m 42s

Saudi Arabia's multi-billion dollar foot...

Bbc World Service
About this episode

The Saudi Pro League has attracted some of the top players from around the world - with transfer fees and salaries amounting to millions of dollars.

We travel to Saudi Arabia to look at the country's ambitious plan to become a global football powerhouse - is it an economic move or simply sportswashing?

With Saudi Arabia now it's looking set to be confirmed as the host of the World Cup in 2034, we look at its relationship with football.

Presenter: Sameer Hashmi

(Image: Saudi football club Al Hilal welcomes Brazilian football star Neymar with an introductory ceremony at King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on August 19, 2023. Credit: Getty Images)

Up next
Today
The man who built Africa's largest AI firm
From the deserts of Tunisia to the boardrooms of global tech giants, we meet Karim Beguir, the mathematician who turned two laptops and 2000 dollars into Africa’s biggest AI firm. We hear how his company, Instadeep, caught the attention of Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, and how it helpe ... Show More
19m 14s
Yesterday
Why you buy what you buy
We lift the curtain on how everyone from toothpaste brands to the United Nations is using science to influence your choices in ways you’re probably not aware of. Behavioural science has even made its way into TV drama. How does it work? And why is it so effective?If you'd like to ... Show More
21m 23s
Jan 28
Copper theft: A growing economic problem
Demand has been surging for copper around the world - from renewable energy projects, to AI data centres, to infrastructure networks. Production, however, has struggled to keep pace, pushing prices close to record highs in late 2025 and early 2026.As the value of the metal has ri ... Show More
17m 28s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2023
Why Saudi Arabia Is Spending Millions on Soccer Stars
Saudi Arabia has been spending hundreds of millions of dollars snapping up international soccer stars in recent months, including legendary players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema, to boost the rosters of its Saudi Pro League. It's not the first time we've seen a country ... Show More
47m 42s
Jun 2023
Golf, soccer, F1: Saudi Arabia's big sports bet
If you're a sports fan, you may have noticed Saudi Arabia making billions of dollars of investments in everything from Formula 1 to professional tennis. In two high profile moves, the Saudis backed the merger of LIV Golf with the PGA tour earlier this month, and recruited soccer ... Show More
28m 32s
Aug 2023
#194 Why Saudi Arabia Wants To Own World Football
Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, and Neymar have all joined the Saudi Pro League on nine-figure annual contracts. And the oil-rich league isn’t slowing down anytime soon, bidding to host marquee FIFA events and compete with Europe’s top football clubs. So today’s podcast examine ... Show More
25m 1s
Jul 2023
The Saudi Arabian Takeover
Saudi Arabia has set the summer transfer window on fire, with numerous superstars such as Karim Benzema and N'Golo Kanté following Cristiano Ronaldo to the Saudi Pro League. Saudi clubs are offering massive contracts to these players, but what's the rationale behind these investm ... Show More
26m 51s
Oct 2023
Why Saudi Arabia Pours Billions Into Sports (And It Makes Sense)
Sometimes as economists we need to analyse complex decisions to understand what the outcomes might be. On the more baffling end of the scale we have Saudi Arabia spending billions on football, golf and Formula 1 stars who are mostly a little past their prime to come and play in t ... Show More
16m 18s
Jan 2023
Could Ronaldo help bring the World Cup to Saudi Arabia?
With Cristiano Ronaldo signing for Al-Nassr the Sports Desk podcast asks what it could mean for Saudi Arabia’s hopes of hosting the World Cup?The 37-year-old has signed a a two and a half year contract to effectively end his playing career in the Saudi Pro League, where he’ll rep ... Show More
59m 1s
Mar 2024
World Corrupt: Episode 1 - Football in the House of Saud
<p>Roger Bennet and Tommy Vietor are back for Season 2 of World Corrupt! And this time, Rog and Tommy are diving into how Saudi Arabia, the biggest exporter of oil in the world and a nation in the news for human rights abuses, became the latest geopolitical powerplayer sweeping g ... Show More
47m 58s