Today, November 23, is a public holiday in Saudi Arabia to celebrate their football team’s incredible World Cup victory over Argentina.
All public and private sector employees and students in Saudi Arabia will have the day off on Wednesday after their national team beat Argentina 2-1 in one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history.
Saudi Arabia beat title favourites Argentina 2-1 at the Lusail Stadium in Doha yesterday in one of the greatest World Cup upsets in history.
The Gulf state are the second-lowest ranked country at Qatar World Cup behind hosts Qatar and came into the tournament with low expectations in a group with Argentina, who were tipped by many to challenge for ultimate glory.
But in a truly stunning turn of events, the underdogs sent the team ranked number three in the world crashing to the bottom of Group C with a stellar 2-1 victory.
And now, Saudi Arabians can continue their celebrations today as King Salman approved plans to give all employees and students a national holiday, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
Saudi Arabia’s previous biggest win was 1-0 over Belgium at the 1994 World Cup, secured by a storied individual goal by Saeed Al-Owairan.
With games to come against Poland and Mexico, Saudi Arabia now have a chance to reach the knockout phase of the tournament for only the second time in six attempts, having reached the Last 16 on their debut in 1994.
