Thousands of UK fight fans will be anxiously checking the potential for travel to Saudi Arabia after Eddie Hearn confirmed it will host Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua this summer.
Hearn said this week that Saudi will play host to the fight for the undisputed world heavyweight championship – likely on Saturday August 14.
There will obviously be disappointment that this all-British showdown is not taking place in front of 90,000 at Wembley Stadium. Instead it is likely to take place in the Saudi city of Jeddah in an indoor arena seating around 20,000.
Normally we would expect a mass exodus of Fury and Joshua fans to see their heroes in the biggest fight of their lives, but COVID-19 means the situation is extremely tricky right now.
What are the travel restrictions for Saudi Arabia?
The UK Government currently has Saudi Arabia on its ‘amber’ list of countries. This means that right now citizens are not allowed to travel to the country for leisure purposes. In theory that rules out anybody heading over there to attend the fight.
The situation though is evolving all the time and when we arrive in July and August the situation could be entirely different.
As of now, if you travel to Saudi Arabia and then return to England, you must do the following:
Before you travel back to England, you must:
- Complete a passenger locator form
- Take a COVID-19 test
- Book and pay for day 2 and day 8 COVID-19 travel tests – to be taken when you arrive back in England
When you arrive back in England, you must:
- Quarantine at home or in the place you are staying for 10 days
- Take a COVID-19 test on or before day 2 and on or after day 8
Travel restrictions imposed by Saudi Arabia
If the situation in the UK is complex enough, you also have to consider the complex restrictions which are imposed on travel into Saudi Arabia by the Government there. You can find the latest details plus helpful contact information by clicking here.
As already stated, the situation is evolving all the time so if you do want to explore the potential to travel to Saudi for the big fight, you need to stay abreast of the situation around COVID restrictions.
It is expected confirmation of the exact date and location could come as early as later this week. If those mooted dates are correct, we are only a matter of 90 days out.
