Saudi Arabia will observe its National Day on September 23, celebrating another year of progress and prosperity driven by the Kingdom’s ambition and transformative agenda.
Under the theme “Our Pride is in Our Nature,” Saudis will take pride in new achievements that have further solidified Saudi Arabia’s status as a regional and global leader across various fields.
As this year’s National Day celebrates the core values and qualities that have shaped Saudi Arabia’s identity, Ambition lies at the heart of these values.
Saudi National Day
Each year, Saudi Arabia marks its National Day on September 23. It is a celebration of the birth of the modern Kingdom, where festivities kick off across all Saudi regions, featuring folklore music and dance shows, as well as parades and firework shows.
On September 23, 1932, King Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud issued a royal decree declaring the unification of Najd and Hejaz into one nation, under the name of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with Riyadh as its capital, Arabic as its official language and Quran as its constitution.
The first celebration of the Saudi National Day took place in 1965, under King Faisal bin Abdulaziz. It became an official holiday in 2005, under a royal decree by King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz.
Ambition: A Driver of Progress
In 2016, the Saudi Crown and Prime Minister, Mohammed bin Salman, launched the revolutionary Vision 2030, a bold transformative national agenda that aims to foster a vibrant society, a thriving economy, and an ambitious nation. The ultimate goal of this national plan is to place Saudi Arabia among the world’s leading nations.
Ambition is the key driver behind this transformative vision. Thus, it features in the identity of the National Day 95 with an illustration of Tuwaiq Mountain. This symbol is inspired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s famous quote, in which he drew a comparison linking the ambition of the Saudi people to the steadfastness of the iconic Tuwaiq mountain.
FIFA World Cup 2034
In a historic achievement, Saudi Arabia will host the FIFA World Cup 2034. With this landmark accomplishment, the Kingdom has become the first and only country in the world to host this grand tournament with the participation of 48 national teams from various continents.
On July 29, 2024, Saudi Arabia submitted its official bid book to host the FIFA World Cup 2034 under the slogan “Growing Together,” promising to deliver “a tournament of a lifetime.” The Kingdom’s bid book received the highest evaluation in FIFA’s bidding history, scoring 419.8 out of 500.
In a strong testament to its ambition, Saudi Arabia unveiled bold plans to host the tournament at 15 state-of-the-art stadiums across 5 cities: Riyadh, Jeddah, Al-Khobar, Abha and NEOM, in addition to 10 other locations to hold the FIFA Fan Festival.
By hosting the FIFA World Cup 2034, as well as other major sporting events such as FIFA Club World Cup and Formula 1 Grand Prix, Saudi Arabia is making steady strides toward fulfilling its ambition: consolidating its status as a global sports hub and a host for major international events, in line with the objectives of Vision 2030.
Esports World Cup 2025
Aiming to become a global hub for gaming, Esports, and entertainment, Riyadh hosted the second edition of the Esports World Cup (EWC 2025) from 7 July to 24 August, 2025.
The innovative championship saw more than 2,000 professional players representing 200 clubs from more than 100 countries, competing across 25 tournaments featuring the world’s most popular game titles. It offered a mega prize pool of $70 million – the largest in Esports history.
Hosting the EWC for the second year in a row underscores Saudi Arabia’s ambition to be a global leader in the gaming and Esports industry, in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 and the National Gaming and Esports Strategy.
Riyadh Metro
As part of its ambition to build a vibrant society and a proud nation under Vision 2030, the Kingdom prioritizes enhancing the quality of life of its citizens and residents by launching several projects and initiatives. One of the ambitious projects inaugurated recently is the Riyadh Metro.
The Riyadh Metro project involves an extensive network consisting of 6 key lines, covering 176 kilometers and connecting 85 metro stations, including 4 main stations.
This revolutionary project enhances connectivity across Riyadh’s streets, reducing congestion and creating a more sustainable urban landscape. The mega project is expected to transport up to 1.2 million passengers daily in its initial phase, reaching its full capacity of 3.6 million passengers daily once it becomes fully operational.
Becoming fully operational in January 2025, the Riyadh Metro has featured among the world’s top 11 architecture projects in 2025, for its spectacular architectural design, according to CNN.
The Riyadh Metro project is also associated with a bus network designed to connect the capital’s districts with business and commercial centers, with a capacity of transporting over 500,000 passengers. It includes on-demand bus services and public transport parking facilities for a smooth and seamless commuting experience.
