Saudi Arabia Says Alcohol Will Be Banned at 2034 FIFA World Cup
Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 FIFA World Cup, and the country has made it clear that it plans to run the event its own way.
Price Khalid Bandar Al Saud, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the U.K., revealed that fans will be restricted from drinking alcohol during the 2034 FIFA World Cup. This applies to not only stadiums, but the whole country, as alcohol consumption is strictly forbidden across Saudi Arabia — a ban that has been in effect since 1952.
Al Saud told British radio station LBC that “plenty of fun can be had without alcohol — it’s not 100% necessary and if you want to drink after you leave, you’re welcome to, but at the moment we don’t have alcohol.”
“Rather like our weather, it’s a dry country,” Al Saud said. “Everyone has their own culture. We’re happy to accommodate people within the boundaries of our culture but we don’t want to change our culture for someone else.”
Similarly, the 2022 World Cup in Qatar had strict regulations; while alcohol isn’t banned across the Muslim nation, Qatar said beer would not be available in stadiums and fans would only be able to drink in designated fan zones and hotels.
In addition to the alcohol ban, some LGBTQ fans have expressed concern, as homosexual acts are punishable by death in Saudi Arabia. However, Al Saud noted that “it is not a Saudi event, it is a world event.”
“And to a large extent, we will welcome everyone who wants to come,” Al Saud said.
It seems unlikely that fans will have other options for the World Cup, specifically because Saudi Arabia was the only country to bid for the 2034 event.
