Yes, Saudi Arabia is crazy about football, and now with the victory over Argentina, the fervour is on another level.
One of the best places to catch the excitement of the game is Jeddah, where screens playing the matches have been installed all over town and a world cup museum has been set up just for the duration of the FIFA World Cup.
The World Cup has come a long way, and the museum takes you through it, right from the very first one in 1930, through carefully curated exhibits.
Among the exhibits on display are a leather match ball from England that dates back to 1930.
من محتويات كاس العالم ١٩٩٠ م لدى متحف الرياضة العالمية .كرة القدم وبوت اديداس . #كأس_العالم #أرشيف_متحف_الرياضة pic.twitter.com/msOd2VqaWV
— Mansour Al-Doss (@mnsoormsd) November 21, 2022
A major draw is England’s 1966 World Cup-winning goalkeeper Gordon Banks’ pair of gloves. He was one of the first in the game to use gloves.
There are also the jerseys of many football legends on display.
يتواجد تيشرت الأسطورة ( محمد نور ) في متحف أساطير كرة القدم الذين شاركوا في #كاس_العالم_FIFA .. وذلك على ما قدمه في كأس العالم 2006م@MohamedNoor_N18 pic.twitter.com/T0kJZp0lBc
— علاء سعيد (@alaa_saeed88) November 24, 2022
Plus, there’s also a collection of every single football used, right from the 1930 edition of the cup to the 2018 one.
من محتويات متحف الرياضة العالمية.. كرة قدم كاس العالم ١٩٧٠وبوت ماركة اديداس من كاس العالم ١٩٧٨م #كأس_العالم_قطر_2022 pic.twitter.com/JmBhje5EQl
— Mansour Al-Doss (@mnsoormsd) November 21, 2022
The museum sits within a fan zone called “The Beautiful Game” that’s filled with so many football-related activities. Football fans know where to head this weekend.