Saudi sports minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal has warned that alcohol is likely to be "prohibited" for football fans at the 2034 World Cup. In December, FIFA confirmed that the Gulf state would be the tournament hosts in nine years time, following the event being held in Qatar in 2022.

Speaking on the Piers Morgan Uncensored show on YouTube, the Prince was pressed on whether the ban on alcohol in the country would remain in place for football's biggest global event.

"The way things stand, is it likely that alcohol will be prohibited here during the World Cup?" asked Morgan.

"Well it is now," he replied. "But the most important thing is how will it (the ban) affect our tournament? And we don't see any affect. We've hosted more than 100 international events and we don't see any effect.

"Everyone has come and enjoyed them. It's really become a family environment at these events. I know with some fans, for them it's something they look for (alcohol) and they want to be part of their experience. But we don't see that it's an issue."

On the eve of the tournament in Qatar, it was announced that supporters would not be able to buy alcohol in stadiums during games. While fans were still able to visit bars in the country, no English visitors were arrested during the World Cup.

That was a stark contrast to the scenes at the delayed Euro 2020 the previous year. The final at Wembley was plagued by fans storming into the ground without tickets, with police making 86 arrests and an independent review citing alcohol has a major factor in the disorder.

And Prince Abdulaziz said the authorities would ensure the fan experience in Saudi Arabia would be a favourable one for those who travel, and played down the prospect of any trouble in the stands. "That is the ultimate goal for everyone," he continued.

"To have a good time, to enjoy, and I don't think that (crowd unrest) will be an issue for us in the World Cup. I think we should focus on the fan experience more than anything else and we know we can deliver on something spectacular from what we've hosted so far."

In English club football, alcohol is permitted to be sold inside stadiums. However, from the Premier League to the fifth-tier National League, fans are prohibited from drinking alcohol in the stands.

Although the government regulation initially only applied to men's football, the rule has been in force for 39 years and has recently been extended to the women's game. Supporters caught trying to smuggle their own into venues are usually subjected to lengthy bans.