A PAKISTANI migrant worker has died while working on a new stadium, being built for the 2034 World Cup in Saudi Arabia, the Guardian reported.

Muhammad Arshad fell to his death from an upper level during the construction of the Aramco Stadium in the city of Al-Khobar earlier this month.

His is the first-known death of a migrant worker linked to construction for the 2034 World Cup, coming just three months after the Gulf kingdom was named the host of the tournament.

Arshad’s death was confirmed by Besix Group, a Belgian construction multinational, whose subsidiary Six Construct is one of the main contractors for the stadium.

“A team of three workers was engaged in formwork operations [creating moulds for concrete] at height when the platform they were working on tilted. While all three were equipped with personal fall-arrest systems, one worker was not connected to an anchor point at the time of the incident and fell, sustaining severe injuries,” the company said in a statement. Emergency services were immediately called, but “the worker sadly succumbed to his injuries in hospital”.

It is unclear how long Arshad had been working at the stadium, where he was said to be employed as a foreman.

The Besix statement said: “Out of respect for the victim’s family, workers were asked not to share images of the consequences of the tragic accident on social media.

“The authorities are conducting a full inquiry, and we are fully cooperating to determine the exact circumstances of this tragedy,” the company said.

Arshad’s body was flown back to Pakistan earlier this week, and he was laid to rest near his home in the country’s north-west, the Guardian reported.

Arshad, who was in his mid-30s, had three sons aged between two and seven. “It will have a long-lasting impact on their lives. Arshad’s income was their only source of living. We will have to bear their living and educational expenses. We will try to meet their needs,” Arshad’s father Muhammad Bashir said.

Although he said he had not yet been contacted directly by his son’s employer, Bashir has been assured by a relative in Saudi Arabia that his family would receive Arshad’s outstanding salary and benefits.

Under Saudi labour law, employers must also pay compensation in the event of a death at work. Besix said it had taken steps to support the family and ensure all payments were “handled in a timely and respectful manner”.

Construction of the 47,000-seater Aramco Stadium is at an advanced stage, with thousands of migrant workers, many from Bangladesh and Pakistan, working at the site in two shifts. It is being developed by Aramco, the state-owned oil company which recently became Fifa’s most lucrative sponsor.

Published in Dawn, March 22nd, 2025