Saudi women allowed to watch men's soccer for the first time

Reforms loosening restrictions on women in the country of Saudi Arabia have continued, with females now allowed to attend soccer matches alongside men.

Saudi families cheer at the King Abdullah Sports City known as 'a radiant jewel' to attend the Saudi Football League soccer match

Saudi families cheer at the King Abdullah Sports City known as 'a radiant jewel' to attend the Saudi Football League soccer match Source: AAP

Women have attended King Abdullah Stadium in Saudi Arabia to watch a men's soccer match for the first time.

As al-Ahli and al-Batin faced each other in the city of Jeddah, women showed up to their first public sporting event in the Kingdom to support the sides with their spouses, children and friends.

The General Sports Authority announced in October that stadiums in Jeddah, Dammam and Riyadh will be set up to accommodate families starting in 2018.

"Honestly this decision should have happened a long time ago," said Muneera al-Ghamdi, who was in the crowd.

"But thank god that it came in the right time, and hopefully what's to come will be even more beautiful for women."



The decision to allow women to attend a mixed public sporting event is one of many changes the country has undergone in recent months, hailed as proof of a new progressive trend in the deeply conservative Muslim Kingdom.

On Thursday, Jeddah held Saudi Arabia's first car exhibition aimed at women, a few months after Saudi Arabia announced it would grant them the right to drive..

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, 32, has been hailed as the face of these changes.

Many young Saudis regard his recent ascent to power as proof their generation is taking a central place in running a country whose patriarchal traditions have for decades blocked women's progress.


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2 min read

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By Fintan McDonnell



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