World Cup 2034 will forbid alcohol in Saudi Arabia, FIFA officials reveal

The 2034 World Cup in Saudi Arabia will not allow football fans to buy or consume alcohol while attending matches, senior FIFA officials have revealed.

Last week, FIFA awarded Saudi Arabia the hosting rights for the 2034 World Cup, marking the second year in which a Middle Eastern country hosts the world’s largest football tournament. Due to the location and its strict laws limiting the sale and consumption of alcohol, however, there has apparently been significant speculation on whether alcohol will be allowed in the stadiums for worldwide football fans and spectators.

Now, according to The Guardian newspaper, unnamed senior officials from FIFA have confirmed that the alcohol ban will be in place during those matches a decade from now.

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There has not yet been any official statement by FIFA itself on the matter, but the officials claimed that the decision to agree with the Saudi government’s ruling comes as a result of “lessons learned” from the World Cup hosted in Qatar two years ago.

Prior to the launching of the World Cup games that year, Qatar’s government had initially allowed the sale of alcohol and designated zones for it within the stadiums, then later changed it to fans being allowed to bring alcohol to stadiums, before deciding to outright ban the sales two days before the first match.

That reportedly resulted in a back-track of alcohol sales and the loss of millions of dollars for a beer company that serves as a leading sponsor and partner of FIFA. The sports body apparently wants to avoid repeating that mistake with Saudi Arabia.