In the few months since it opened, Riyadh's Kingdom Arena has hosted some of the world's biggest stars.
The 26,000-seat venue in the Hittin neighbourhood of the city was packed out on Monday to see Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal play Lionel Messi's Inter Miami as part of the Riyadh Season Cup football tournament.
It was the first time Kingdom Arena – formerly known as Boulevard Hall – hosted an event under its new name.
The multipurpose venue, which can host football, basketball, tennis and boxing, as well as live concerts, was built for Riyadh Season – the winter arts and culture festival that takes place over five months in the Saudi capital.
Its retractable roof means the venue can be used year-round. Inside, the stadium has 20 VIP boxes that can accommodate 350 people.
There's also a jumbotron – a four-sided video screen similar to those found in US basketball and ice hockey stadiums – hanging from the roof.
Part of the Boulevard City development, the structure was built in 60 days and was ready just in time for WBC champion Tyson Fury's fight against former UFC heavyweight title holder Francis Ngannou on October 28.
Last dance
It gives Riyadh football club Al Hilal a permanent home, having previously played at King Fahd International Stadium, Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium and King Saud University.
In September, Al Hilal signed an agreement with the General Entertainment Authority to play their home games at Boulevard Hall.
The 40 million Saudi riyal-a-year ($10.6 million) agreement included renaming the venue Kingdom Arena, after Prince Al Waleed bin Talal, a long-standing backer of Al-Hilal and founder of the Kingdom Holding Company, contributed 25 million riyals to the deal.
The venue will be full again on Thursday for the second match of the Riyadh Season Cup, which will see Lionel Messi, 36, face his long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo, 38, in the Inter Miami vs Al-Nassr clash.
The match has been dubbed “The Last Dance” as it could be the final time the two football greats play on the same pitch.
Messi spent most of his career with Barcelona where he regularly battled arch-rival Real Madrid, spearheaded by Ronaldo between 2009 and 2018.
Off the pitch, their rivalry extended to the quest for individual awards, chiefly the Ballon d'Or, with Messi winning eight following his success in the 2023 poll and Ronaldo having five, the last of which came in 2017.
Their head-to-head record stands at 17 wins for Messi, 11 for Ronaldo and 9 draws.
On February 17, the eyes of the boxing world will be on Kingdom Arena when the heavyweight division is expected to crown an undisputed champion for the first time in almost 25 years with the meeting of Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, the WBA, IBF and WBO champion.
Boxing was the first major event to be hosted at the then Boulevard Hall when Fury faced former UFC heavyweight title-holder Ngannou.
The high-profile fight, billed as the “Battle of the Baddest” was attended by musicians Eminem and Kanye West, as well as Ronaldo.
Anthony Joshua defeated Otto Wallin at the same venue in December, which saw Joseph Parker defeat former world heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder in a unanimous points decision in the co-headline bout.
In June, the venue will host the kingdom's first UFC fight night. The event was due to take place on March 2, but was rescheduled to “ensure the best calibre of talent will be available”, Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the General Authority for Entertainment in Saudi Arabia, said on social media.
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Closing the loophole on sugary drinks
As The National reported last year, non-fizzy sugared drinks were not covered when the original tax was introduced in 2017. Sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, 20 grams of sugar per 500ml bottle.
The non-fizzy drink AriZona Iced Tea contains 65 grams of sugar – about 16 teaspoons – per 680ml can. The average can costs about Dh6, which would rise to Dh9.
Drinks such as Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino contain 31g of sugar in 270ml, while Nescafe Mocha in a can contains 15.6g of sugar in a 240ml can.
Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category
Not taxed:
Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
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Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Favourite things
Luxury: Enjoys window shopping for high-end bags and jewellery
Discount: She works in luxury retail, but is careful about spending, waits for sales, festivals and only buys on discount
University: The only person in her family to go to college, Jiang secured a bachelor’s degree in business management in China
Masters: Studying part-time for a master’s degree in international business marketing in Dubai
Vacation: Heads back home to see family in China
Community work: Member of the Chinese Business Women’s Association of the UAE to encourage other women entrepreneurs
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Teams
Punjabi Legends Owners: Inzamam-ul-Haq and Intizar-ul-Haq; Key player: Misbah-ul-Haq
Pakhtoons Owners: Habib Khan and Tajuddin Khan; Key player: Shahid Afridi
Maratha Arabians Owners: Sohail Khan, Ali Tumbi, Parvez Khan; Key player: Virender Sehwag
Bangla Tigers Owners: Shirajuddin Alam, Yasin Choudhary, Neelesh Bhatnager, Anis and Rizwan Sajan; Key player: TBC
Colombo Lions Owners: Sri Lanka Cricket; Key player: TBC
Kerala Kings Owners: Hussain Adam Ali and Shafi Ul Mulk; Key player: Eoin Morgan
Venue Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Format 10 overs per side, matches last for 90 minutes
Timeline October 25: Around 120 players to be entered into a draft, to be held in Dubai; December 21: Matches start; December 24: Finals
Essentials
The flights
Return flights from Dubai to Windhoek, with a combination of Emirates and Air Namibia, cost from US$790 (Dh2,902) via Johannesburg.
The trip
A 10-day self-drive in Namibia staying at a combination of the safari camps mentioned – Okonjima AfriCat, Little Kulala, Desert Rhino/Damaraland, Ongava – costs from $7,000 (Dh25,711) per person, including car hire (Toyota 4x4 or similar), but excluding international flights, with The Luxury Safari Company.
When to go
The cooler winter months, from June to September, are best, especially for game viewing.
