According to several subscribers, TOD.tv, which is broadcasting the majority of World Cup matches in Saudi Arabia although not Saudi games, has been blocked without any explanation.

TOD.tv is the official streaming platform for the World Cup in 24 countries across the Middle East and North Africa region including Saudi Arabia.

It is operated by the Qatari state-owned beIN Media Group, which had previously been banned in Saudi Arabia amid a diplomatic row between the two nations.

When trying to access TOD.tv in Saudi Arabia, a message appears saying that the page is "violating the regulations of Ministry of Media".

Customers have taken to social media to complain about the inaccessibility of the streaming service which was launched in Saudi Arabia in January.

The outage is understood to have started one hour before the Opening Ceremony was due to be broadcast on November 20.

A message has been issued by TOD.tv to subscribers in Saudi Arabia acknowledging the problem.

"Due to matters beyond our control, we are experiencing an outage in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia which is currently impacting TOD.tv, the official streaming partner of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022," a statement from TOD.tv read.

"Additional information will be provided as soon as it is available."

beIN has refused to comment on the matter.

In 2017, Saudi Arabia decided to block beIN from operating inside its borders due to diplomatic tensions between the two countries.

It decided to cut ties with Qatar due to its supposed "embrace of various terrorist and sectarian groups aimed at destabilising the region".

This led to a blockade of the state until January 2021.

Pirate channel beoutQ operated in Saudi Arabia for much of the blockade, showing events beIN Sports had the rights to.

Both Qatar and Saudi Arabia have made increasing plays for major sporting events in recent times.

One recent bidding war saw Saudi Arabia and Qatar battle it out for the right to stage the 2030 Asian Games, with both countries describing their bids as "national priorities".

Doha was named host of the 2030 edition with Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh awarded the 2034 event following a vote at the Olympic Council of Asia General Assembly in December 2020.

Qatar is the first Middle Eastern country to host the World Cup but the national team have been knocked out after back-to-back defeats in the group stage.

Saudi Arabia caused one of the biggest shocks of the tournament courtesy of a 2-1 victory over Argentina.