The FIFA World Cup is about more than a worldwide sporting competition. It’s a culture, diversity, and unity celebration in which supporters from around the globe gather in the name of joy and togetherness. But FIFA’s bid to bestow the 2034 World Cup on Saudi Arabia has provoked grave concern—not merely regarding human rights or worker exploitation—but now even more starkly regarding fan freedom and cultural congruence.
New developments affirm that Saudi Arabia will continue their ban on alcohol throughout the tournament, sending a precise message: football supporters need to leave some of their culture behind. This move doesn’t just represent a legal prohibition.
It’s a metaphor for a larger issue—a cultural and societal incompatibility at the root level between Saudi Arabia and the values the World Cup is designed to commemorate. The alcohol ban isn’t simply a drink; it’s a representation of an ultimate disagreement between an open international culture and a host country immersed in authoritarian values.
The Alcohol Ban: Not Just a Drink, But a Statement
Saudi Arabia’s recent denial of reports permitting limited alcohol sales during the 2034 World Cup is a caustic reminder: the kingdom won’t be bending to accommodate world norms even for a moment. Unlike past hosts such as Germany, Brazil, France, and South Africa, where beer gardens and fan zones brought joy. Saudi Arabia is going dry, with severe penalties like deportation, 100 lashes, and imprisonment for transgressions.
A Reuters report in 2024 assured that FIFA was told there would be “no exception to the Saudi alcohol ban”, becoming the second host in a row (following Qatar 2022) to ban alcohol, following unprecedented fan outcry.
But whereas Qatar acted hastily, Saudi Arabia is adopting an unequivocal and planned position. Such unyielding adherence to prohibition has its roots in decades of uncompromising policy. Foreign diplomats, oilmen, and even American troops have grumbled about the prohibition on drinking or unwinding even in private since the 1950s.
Cultural Incompatibility with Global Football Festivities
It is not just a question of drinks—it is a matter of the fan experience. Football fans in Europe, South America, and even in Asia have learned to link the World Cup with a party-like scene: music, dance, socializing, and festive drinks.
As per a 2018 BBC Sport poll, 64% of World Cup visitors identified “fan zones, parties, and atmosphere” as one of the biggest reasons they enjoyed the tournament. Through imposing alcohol prohibition, Saudi Arabia will suppress an integral component of that cultural activity.
It’s not only about withholding access to alcohol—it’s about monitoring behavior, policing interaction, and suppressing expression. Supporters can be afraid of being arrested for drinking, wearing “immodest” clothing, or even publicly expressing affection. FIFA says it fosters inclusion, but how inclusive is a World Cup where supporters have to censor themselves at every turn?
A History of Harsh Punishment
Saudi Arabia has a long and unyielding tradition of punishing alcohol-related crimes. Foreigners who are caught with alcohol tend to be imprisoned, flogged, and deported. In 1982, the U.S. State Department condemned the flogging of five Americans as “more severe than lashings administered for similar infractions in the past.”
In a highly publicized 1951 episode, Prince Mishari bin Abdulaziz Al Saud killed a British diplomat after becoming intoxicated at a reception. It resulted in a blanket prohibition on alcohol even for diplomatic purposes. Saudi Arabia has since had one of the world’s most stringent prohibitions. To this day, offenders may be imprisoned for as much as a year and lashed 100 times.
Bootlegging has continued to be rampant, and the black market for booze flourishes underground. The Independent reported in 2001 that an individual bottle of Johnnie Walker would sell for £120, as smuggled packs brought in profits of over £1.3 million. These conditions provide legal risk, safety problems, and corruption, far from an appropriate environment for global fans.
FIFA’s Double Standards
FIFA’s espousal of openness, freedom of expression, and celebration of culture seems empty when it selects hosts who actively repress those same principles. Following Qatar 2022’s blanket criticism—during which rainbow flags were prohibited, media were censored, and alcohol was limited—fans hoped for a return to welcoming, pluralistic host countries.
Instead, FIFA has doubled down. As FIFA blows its trumpet about its Human Rights Policy and Sustainability Strategy, Saudi Arabia keeps journalists behind bars, outlaws LGBTQ+ rights, and discriminates against women even after superficial reforms. Selecting Saudi Arabia is a betrayal of the purpose of the tournament.
Fan Safety and Legal Risks
With the ban on alcohol comes enforcement, and that enforcement all too often translates into harsh punishment for foreign tourists. The legislation is not just strict; it is rigid and deadly. Spectators who innocently break laws can expect to be publicly flogged, jailed, or deported.
The 1990 Gulf War deployment of American forces is a tale of caution: American troops were prohibited by Saudi law from consuming alcohol, even after having to fight in desert combat conditions. Many grumbled bitterly. If even the armed forces couldn’t manage exemptions, why should football fans?
In Qatar 2022, the eleventh-hour alcohol bans generated confusion and anger. Fan factions criticized the opacity. With Saudi Arabia already announcing a wholesale ban a decade ahead of time, the message is sent: fans need to conform or abstain.
Global Football Culture Deserves Better
A 2014 report by Nielsen found that 91% of football fans worldwide drink alcohol socially. It’s part of the fan culture—tucking into a match at pubs, celebrating victories, or commiserating defeats over a glass.
Taking this away from the World Cup experience in a country where public expression is strict means removing the spontaneity of what makes the tournament so great. FIFA cannot expect fans to conform to repressive settings without bringing its reputation into question.
A Symbol of Wider Repression
The ban on alcohol is symbolic of wider, more restrictive bounds in Saudi Arabia. This comprises:
- Execution of dissidents
- Crushing of LGBTQ+ identities
- Treatment of migrant labor as cheap fodder
- Gender-based segregation and repression
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have consistently cautioned FIFA against handing events to countries with bad human rights records. But these cautions go unheeded in the name of petro-dollar influence.
Join the Global Movement to Boycott Saudi 2034
Football is not just a game—it’s freedom, it’s unity, it’s joy, it’s a global celebration. In awarding the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia, FIFA has selected a host country that continues to muzzle dissidents, limit individual freedoms, and apply laws criminalizing ordinary conduct, such as having a glass of wine or showing public affection.
This is not merely a policy matter—it is a violation of the values football fans consider sacred. We cannot let the game of beauty be taken over by image-washing authoritarianism. Make your voice heard. Don’t normalize oppression. Add your voice to the call for #BoycottSaudi2034 and defend the World Cup’s soul.