Saudi Arabia wins bid to host Expo 2030

Saudi Arabia's capital city of Riyadh won the right to host the Expo 2030 world fair, vote results showed on Tuesday.

South Korea's Busan and Italy's Rome were also in the running to host the five-yearly event that attracts millions of visitors and billions of dollars in investment.

Riyadh won 119 votes, Busan 29 and Rome 17, results from 182 members of the Paris-based Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) showed.

Saudi Arabia needed to garner two thirds of the votes to win from the first round.

Riyadh had enlisted football star Cristiano Ronaldo, who plays for the Saudi club Al-Nassr to convince members in a video projected before the vote.

The Saudi capital has proposed to host the event between October 2030 and March 2031.

Official: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its capital Riyadh are the World Expo 2030 destination. 🇸🇦#RiyadhTheWorldsChoice#RiyadhExpo2030 pic.twitter.com/rrQnwbfBw2

— Expo 2030 Riyadh (@Expo2030Riyadh) November 28, 2023

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai congratulated the leaders of Saudi Arabia on the country's successful bid to host the World Expo.

"The joy of the Saudi people is our joy, their success is our success, and their hosting of World Expo 2030 is a win for the Gulf and the entire region," he said on X.

نبارك لعاصمة الخير والمجد .. عاصمة الازدهار والاستقرار الرياض الحبيبة فوزها باستضافة إكسبو 2030 … نبارك لأخي الملك سلمان بن عبدالعزيز وولي عهده الأمير محمد بن سلمان تصويت العالم لتكون الرياض وجهته ومحطته الثقافية في 2030 ..
فرحة الشعب السعودي فرحتنا .. ونجاحهم نجاحنا ..…

— HH Sheikh Mohammed (@HHShkMohd) November 28, 2023