Saudi Arabia will upholds its current ban on alcohol during the 2034 World Cup, said Khalid bin Bandar Al Saud, the host’s country’s ambassador to the United Kingdom.
Global soccer governing body, FIFA officially announced Saudi as hosts of the 2034 World Cup in December. The tournament is set to take place across a total of 15 stadiums in Jeddah, Khobar, Abha, the capital city of Riyadh, and the planned city of Neon.
Notably, the 2034 World Cup will mark a historic milestone as the first edition to feature 48 teams expanding the competition’s format.
The Kingdom banned alcohol, which is prohibited for observant Muslims, in 1952.
It was not sold at stadium’s in neigbouring Qatar, where drinking in public is illegal, during the 2022 tournament but beer was available at designated fan zones and in some hotels.
“Plenty of fun can be had without alcohol – It’s not 100 percent necessary and If you want to drink after your leave, your welcome to, but at the moment we don’t have alcohol”, Kalid bin Bandar told British media station LBC on Wednesday.
“Rather like our weather, It’s a dry country. 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”.
Last year, Saudi announced the opening of an alcohol shop in the Diplomatic Quarter of Riyadh to combat the black market and illegal imports.
The store is only for non-Muslim diplomats, who must present diplomatic identification before they buy.
-9News Nigeria.
