A Saudi official on Monday (May 26, 2025) refuted media reports claiming that the kingdom, the birthplace of Islam, plans to lift its 73-year-old ban on alcohol, which remains forbidden for practicing Muslims. The rumor, initially spread by a wine blog last week and later picked up by some international outlets, suggested that Saudi authorities would permit controlled alcohol sales as part of preparations for hosting the 2034 soccer World Cup. However, the report did not cite any sources and triggered intense online debate within the conservative kingdom, where the King also serves as Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, Islam’s holiest sites in Mecca and Medina.

Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), has been spearheading reforms aimed at opening the country to tourism and business, diversifying the economy away from oil. These reforms have included lifting the ban on women driving in 2017, easing some gender segregation rules in public spaces, and curbing the authority of the religious police.

Last year, Saudi Arabia took a small step by opening its first alcohol store in Riyadh, which serves only non-Muslim diplomats. Before this, alcohol was accessible only via diplomatic channels or through the black market.

The kingdom enforces strict anti-alcohol laws, with penalties ranging from deportation and fines to imprisonment. Physical punishments such as lashes have largely been replaced by jail sentences.