Overview

“Expo 2030 Riyadh” is scheduled to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from October 1, 2030, to March 31, 2031. It is a registered Expo (International Registered Exhibition) under the International Exhibitions Bureau (Bureau International des Expositions, BIE), and it will be the first Expo hosted by Saudi Arabia. The Expo is guided by the theme “Foresight for Tomorrow.” Construction and operation of the site have been entrusted to Expo 2030 Riyadh Company, a company wholly owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) that was announced on June 19, 2025, with the Royal Commission for Riyadh City also leading preparations.

Origins and the bid

Saudi Arabia won the right to host on November 28, 2023, at the 173rd General Assembly of the BIE. Three candidates competed: Busan, Republic of Korea, with the theme “Transforming Our World, Navigating Toward a Better Future”; Rome, Italy, with “People and Territories: Regeneration, Inclusion and Innovation”; and Riyadh, which bid under the theme “The Era of Change: Together for a Foresighted Tomorrow.” BIE rules required a two-thirds majority to win in the first round. Riyadh cleared that threshold immediately with 119 votes, against 29 for the Republic of Korea and 17 for Italy, with no abstentions. Unlike its two rivals, which proposed a May to October calendar, Riyadh proposed an October to March run.

The BIE General Assembly formally registered the Expo on June 17, 2025, at its 176th session in Paris, when Member States unanimously approved the Registration Dossier. Registration confirmed the shortened theme “Foresight for Tomorrow,” which the BIE describes as focused on innovation, sustainability and collective action, organized around five interconnected subthemes: Technology, Planet, Humanity, Culture and Collaboration. At the time of registration, Ibrahim Al Sultan, CEO of the Royal Commission for Riyadh City, said, “We are currently working on delivering a global event, suitable to the Kingdom’s position on the global stage.”

The site

Plans call for a site of about 6 million square meters in the north of Riyadh, centered on Wadi Al Sulai and following the natural contours of the valley, with roughly 2 million square meters set aside as the gated exhibition area. PIF has described it as one of the largest sites in Expo history. Under a “One Nation, One Pavilion” model, every participating country is to have the means to take part fully and present its ideas and culture. Organizers project more than 40 million visits during the six-month run and anticipate the participation of 197 countries, alongside a program of dialogue, culture, entertainment and immersive experiences.

Legacy

Legacy is built into the plan from the outset. After the Expo closes, the gated area is intended to become a “Global Village,” a hub for tourism, business, innovation and cultural exchange with retail and dining, surrounded by an international residential community. PIF has said that participating countries may build permanent pavilions. Official projections attribute almost $70 billion in contributions to Saudi gross domestic product and about 171,000 direct and indirect jobs to the project across its construction, operation and legacy phases; these are forecasts, not results.

Saudi Arabia formally received the BIE flag at the close of Expo 2025 Osaka on October 13, 2025, making Riyadh the next host of a registered Expo. Its outcome will rest on how fully its ambitious plans for participation, scale and long-term reuse of the site are realized.