DOHA, Qatar — To make it to the big game, the Saudi soccer fan resorted to unusual measures.

He first flew to Kuwait, where he told his parents he was going on vacation. Then he boarded a plane to Qatar, the site of a major soccer tournament this week. Officially, it was a forbidden journey: for over two years Saudi Arabia has led a strict diplomatic and trade embargo of Qatar, and its citizens are barred from traveling there.

But the subterfuge and secrecy employed by the fan, Majed al-Qahtani, 29, turned out to be unnecessary. The bitter standoff in the Persian Gulf has softened in recent weeks amid a sudden flurry of peace talks between Saudi and Qatari leaders.

Arriving in Qatar, Mr. al-Qahtani found hundreds of other Saudi soccer fans, all mingling easily with their Qatari hosts, apparently with a wink and nod from their government — the most visible sign yet of a recent thaw between the oil-rich countries.