Beer with alcohol is expected to be sold at World Cup stadiums in Qatar 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.
The next year, FIFA renewed a sponsor deal through 2022 with Budweiser brewer Anheuser-Busch. 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.
“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.
In 2019, a flaw in the plan took fans on one-hour trips through rush hour traffic to games on buses lacking toilets.
Organizers expect about 1.2 million visitors at the 32-team tournament.