(Photo by AMER HILABI/AFP via Getty Images)
To celebrate its historic victory over Argentina in the Fifa World Cup in Qatar, Saudi Arabia has declared November 23 (Wednesday) a public holiday in the country.
It is applicable to every worker in the public and private sectors as well as to every student in the nation. According to official TV, the Saudi stock exchange will be closed on Wednesday and open again on Thursday.
One of the greatest World Cup surprises in history saw Saudi Arabia defeat title favorites Argentina 2-1 on Tuesday at the Lusail Stadium in Doha.
Saudi supporters will continue to celebrate their team’s incredible victory for a very long time, and French coach Herve Renard may soon become a national hero.
The team has never before lost its opening encounter at a World Cup, falling to Germany 8-0 in 2002 and to Russia 5-0 in 2018.
It has happened before that a public holiday was announced following a World Cup victory. A national holiday was also proclaimed in Cameroon the following day as a result of Cameroon’s outstanding performance against Argentina in the tournament’s opening game in 1990, which is sometimes cited as one of the biggest upsets in football history.