Football World Cup 2022 (FIFA), Qatar Prepare Beer Policy For Spectators At Mega Showpiece
Qatar's 2022 FIFA World Cup will take place from November 21 to December 18. Fans may be allowed to take only non-alcoholic drinks to their seats at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Beer with alcohol is expected to be sold at Qatar's 2022 FIFA World Cup stadiums, but fans may be allowed to take only non-alcoholic drinks to their seats. FIFA and Qatari organizers are still working on plans to serve all fans who want to drink at games when the tournament starts in November in the Muslim-majority country. The favored option is serving beer with alcohol in stadium compounds before and after games and allowing fans to take non-alcoholic Budweiser Zero to their seats. "We will be confirming and making things official in due course," FIFA said on Friday in a statement. In those simpler times, bullfrogs croaking to monsoon rains were an eternal cause for entertainment and curiosity that is sadly lacking in the big city.
FIFA said designs are "still being looked into" of possible branding for drinking containers fans would hold in areas broadcast to hundreds of millions of viewers. The 2022 FIFA World Cup is the first in the tournament's 92-year history to be played in a Muslim country with strict social taboos around alcohol.
Questions about how Qatar would cater to fans wanting to drink alcohol have been asked since FIFA picked the host nation in 2010. FIFA renewed a sponsor deal through 2022 with Budweiser brewer Anheuser-Busch the next year. That partnership started at the 1986 World Cup. At the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, pressure from FIFA led local lawmakers to pass a special bill exempting the tournament from a ban on selling alcohol at stadiums. Qatari organizers were initially resistant to any alcohol being served at stadiums but promised a decade ago to "come up with a plan that welcomes everyone."
"FIFA World Cup fans will be able to enjoy Budweiser Zero and Budweiser during the tournament," Anheuser-Busch said in a statement on Friday. Qatar has tested its alcohol policies when hosting soccer, including the 2019 Club World Cup — an event that featured European champion Liverpool, South American champion Flamengo and Mexican club Monterrey. The golf club venue is set to be considered again for the World Cup, which is scheduled for November 21-December 18. Organizers expect about 1.2 million visitors to the 32-team tournament.