Qatar’s World Cup organizers have made a last-minute decision to ban alcohol sales around stadiums during the course of the tournament. This comes after the Qatari organizers and FIFA entered late negotiations to determine whether beer sales would be permitted at the stadiums.
Beer will still be available for sale at the FIFA Fan Zone and official fan zones, however, sales at the stadiums themselves will be prohibited. “Following discussions between host country authorities and FIFA, a decision has been made to focus the sale of alcoholic beverages on the FIFA Fan Festival, other fan destinations, and licensed venues, removing the sales points of beer from Qatar’s FIFA World Cup 2022 stadium perimeters,” FIFA declared in an official statement.
This decision comes after it was determined that FIFA would permit sponsors Budweiser to sell beer at the stadiums. After discussions with Qatari authorities, it was determined that Budweiser beer tents be situated in less visible areas of the stadiums. The decision will have no impact on the sale of Bud Zero, however, and the alcohol-free beverage will continue to be available for sale at all World Cup stadiums.
