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US-based engineering firm Populous has won a BD5m ($13.5m) contract for the Sports City development at Sakhir in Bahrain.

The contract was awarded by Bahrain’s Ministry of Works, Municipalities Affairs & Urban Planning.

The scope covers pre-contract consultancy services, including finalising the masterplan and internal infrastructure, completing phase 1A design works and preparing tender documents.

Populous is a specialist sports venue designer that formerly operated as part of HOK Group.

The contract was first tendered in 2021, when Populous emerged as the sole bidder.

At the time, it was reported that Sports City would include Bahrain’s largest sports stadium and a multi-purpose indoor sports arena.

The project is expected to provide renewed impetus to Bahrain’s construction and transport sector, which has struggled in recent years, with the total value of awarded contracts falling for a third consecutive year.

According to regional project tracker MEED Projects, about $400m-worth of contracts had been awarded in Bahrain by the end of October last year – less than half the $1.2bn recorded during the same period the previous year.

The sector has yet to return to pre-pandemic levels. Before 2020, Bahrain consistently awarded more than $2bn in contracts annually, peaking at nearly $4bn in 2016.

Bahrain’s construction industry is forecast to record average annual growth of 4.9% in 2026-29, supported by investments in transport infrastructure and renewable energy projects aligned with Bahrain’s Economic Vision 2030.

Vision 2030 includes the BD11.3bn ($30bn) Strategic Projects Plan, unveiled in October 2021, encompassing 22 national infrastructure projects. It also includes plans to create five new cities by 2030: Fasht Al-Jarm, Suhaila Island, Fasht Al-Azem, Bahrain Bay and the Hawar Islands.

Growth over the forecast period is also expected to be driven by investments under the National Renewable Energy Action Plan, which targets a 30% reduction in carbon emissions by 2035, compared to 2015 levels, and aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2060.

READ THE APRIL 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDF

Economic shock threatens long-term outlook; Riyadh adjusts to fiscal and geopolitical risk; GCC contractor ranking reflects gigaprojects slowdown.

Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the April 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes: