Saudi Vision 2030 Scales Back The Line and Cuts LIV Golf Spending

*TL;DR: Saudi Arabia has reduced the scope of The Line and acknowledges a $5 bn loss on LIV Golf, highlighting a broader pullback in Vision 2030 spending.

Context Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 promised a post‑oil economy built on megaprojects and high‑profile sports ventures. Early hype featured a 100‑mile linear city taller than London’s Shard and a lucrative golf league meant to boost the kingdom’s global image.

Key Facts - The Line, originally billed as a 100‑mile, 500‑meter‑tall city, is now being re‑scaled to a much smaller footprint, abandoning its most ambitious dimensions. - The LIV Golf tour has cost roughly $5 billion to date and has delivered neither the expected financial returns nor the reputational lift Saudi Arabia sought. - Analyst Ellen R. Wald notes a recurring pattern: Saudi leaders announce grand projects, then downsize or cancel them, a trend that predates Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

What It Means The scaling back of The Line signals that the kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund, which once counted on near‑$1 trillion in oil‑linked assets, is tightening its belt after a prolonged oil‑price slump. The failure of LIV Golf to generate revenue or soft power suggests that high‑cost branding bets are no longer viable.

Saudi officials appear to be shifting from speculative, image‑driven construction to more modest, revenue‑producing initiatives. The retreat may also reflect caution amid geopolitical uncertainty, as the war in Ukraine and regional tensions keep oil markets volatile.

Looking Ahead Watch for further revisions to Neom’s master plan and for new funding models that prioritize private investment over state‑driven spending.