Saudi rights activist says 2034 World Cup visitors will live in 'a bubble' and not see real life

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer meets Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud at the Royal Court in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Monday, Dec. 9, 2024 during his three day visit of United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Cyprus.

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer meets Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud at the Royal Court in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Monday, Dec. 9, 2024 during his three day visit of United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Cyprus. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, Pool)


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LONDON — A Saudi human rights activist says soccer fans visiting Saudi Arabia for the 2034 World Cup will live in a "bubble" that doesn't reflect real life there. Lina al-Hathloul is a London-based activist whose sister was jailed in Saudi Arabia then banned from travel after campaigning to end a ban on women driving. When FIFA confirmed the kingdom as the 2034 tournament host on Wednesday its president Gianni Infantino acknowledged "the world will be watching" for positive social change. Al-Hathloul says western people "will be very safe" at the World Cup but "will see a bubble of what Saudi Arabia is."

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