COCA-COLA SUPERCUP 2019/2020
The 32nd edition of the Coca-Cola Supercup between Juventus (2018-19 Serie A TIM Champions) and Lazio (2018-19 Coppa Italia winners) will take place in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) at the "King Saud University Stadium" on Sunday 22 December 2019 at 19.45 local time (17.45 CET).
For the second consecutive year, as part of a three-year agreement signed in 2018 with the General Sports Authority (GSA), the Supercoppa Italiana will take place in Saudi Arabia, this time in Riyadh, the capital of the Arabian Peninsula.
The trophy, since 1993 and its first edition abroad, has always been the best business card to export and promote Italian football around the world. In the past, it has been hosted four times in China, twice in the United States and Qatar, once in Libya and Saudi Arabia.
This season, the hosting of the Supercoppa on Saudi territory is made possible by blocking illegal broadcasts of audiovisual content on the beoutQ platform in the MENA region, which for many years have been detrimental to the Lega Serie A.
The King Saud University Stadium, inaugurated in 2015, is located in the heart of Riyadh. It has a capacity of around 25,000 and is the most modern in the Saudi capital. It hosts the matches of Al-Hilal Club, where Italian international Sebastian Giovinco plays. It is in this stadium that the Brazil - Argentina friendly will be played on 15/11/2019.
The Supercoppa Italiana will be broadcast live in Italy on Rai 1 and in 60 other countries around the world that have already acquired TV rights for this event.
For Juventus and Lazio fans from all over the world, entry into Saudi Arabia will be facilitated by the recent introduction, for the first time in the country's history, of the tourist visa. As part of the reforms planned under the 'Vision 2030' programme, a government plan to promote Saudi Arabia's economy and image foreign women entering the country are no longer required to wear abaya, a traditional item of women's clothing thanks to the decree on 27/09/2019 which abolishes the obligation to for it to be worn.
Another important innovation is the possibility of purchasing tickets in all areas of the stadium, without any gender distinction. Until last year, in fact, in Saudi Arabia, women had no access to any sporting events. The 2018-19 Supercoppa Italiana between Juventus FC and AC Milan (1-0 on 16/01/2019) was a pioneer and the elimination of this ban is now entirely widespread: women have access to any part of the stadium.
Saudi Arabia has now embarked on the path of social and economic reform through laws and initiatives aimed at rapidly opening up to the world. Sport, and football in particular, in this historic phase of evolution, plays the role of a powerful vehicle capable of bringing distant worlds closer and closer together.
The Supercoppa Italiana is part of a vast programme of events organised these months in Saudi Arabia, from international friendly football matches to Formula E races, including Dakar 2020 and concerts by world-famous stars such as Enrique Iglesias, the Black Eyed Peas and David Guetta.
