Saudi Arabia Pledges $7 Billion for Three Mega Theme Parks Near Paris
Saudi Arabia has pledged €6 billion ($7 billion) to build three mega theme parks on the outskirts of Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron announced on August 24, 2026, following the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the two nations (Deadline).
The deal was sealed during a two-day visit by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, hosted by Macron beginning August 23. The talks between the two leaders covered energy, regional conflicts, and bilateral cooperation, with the theme park pledge emerging as the visit's marquee announcement (Al Jazeera).
Macron said the three parks will be built in Cergy-Pontoise, a suburb roughly 30 kilometres northwest of central Paris, and that the project will generate 22,000 jobs. The financing comes from Qiddiya, the Saudi entertainment and investment group that is building a massive tourism and entertainment district outside Riyadh. Qiddiya is already behind the world's first Dragon Ball theme park, currently under construction at that Saudi site (Deadline).
That Dragon Ball connection may not be coincidental. Macron fuelled speculation that one of the three Paris parks could be devoted to the Japanese manga franchise, whose global fanbase spans decades of anime, comics, and merchandise. The French president's team had been seeking Saudi funding for a manga theme park near Paris, with a deal that could exceed €1 billion on its own, according to a report published in early August (Politico). In the days leading up to bin Salman's visit, France was reported to be pushing specifically for a Dragon Ball-backed amusement park agreement (The New Arab).
A French presidential official declined to confirm or deny whether Dragon Ball was part of the package when asked ahead of the visit (France 24).
For context, a memorandum of understanding is a non-binding statement of intent: it signals both parties plan to proceed, but the specific contracts, timelines, and content deals that would actually turn €6 billion into operating parks still need to be negotiated and signed. The pledge nonetheless represents one of the largest foreign entertainment investments France has attracted in recent years.
The Cergy-Pontoise site would place the parks within reach of the greater Paris metro area and its roughly 12 million residents, as well as the international tourist traffic that already flows through the region. Disneyland Paris, opened in 1992, sits roughly 30 kilometres east of the capital and drew roughly 10 million visitors in its most recent full year of operation.
For manga and anime fans, the prospect of a Dragon Ball park on European soil is the detail that turns a policy announcement into something worth watching. The franchise, created by Akira Toriyama in 1984, has sold hundreds of millions of copies worldwide and remains one of the most recognisable properties in Japanese popular culture. Whether Goku and company actually land in the Paris suburbs will depend on the deals that follow the handshake.
