Dry cup: Qatar’s World Cup stadiums prohibited from selling beer during tournament

Just two days before the start of the World Cup in Qatar, the decision to ban beer sales at the matches has been made.

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Only non-alcoholic beer will be allowed to be sold at the eight stadiums being used to host 64 matches over the next month, The Associated Press reported.

This is the first World Cup to be held in a conservative Muslim county that controls alcohol and bans public drinking, Reuters reported. But the country does not outright ban alcohol, unlike its neighbor Saudi Arabia.

FIFA said in a statement that alcohol will be able to be purchased at the FIFA Fan Festival and other licensed venues, just not the stadiums, the AP reported.

Champagne, wine, whiskey and other alcohol options will be available in the luxury hospitality areas of the stadiums. Typically, those beverages are only available in hospitality areas during the World Cup; beer is normally available for regular ticket holders.

AB InBev, the parent company of Budweiser, which is the World Cup beer sponsor, had already shipped a substantial amount of beer from Britain to Qatar after paying tens of millions of dollars for the exclusive right to sell beer at the tournament. The company is currently negotiating with the World Cup organizers to secure the same rights that AB InBev has held since 1986 for the next World Cup scheduled to happen in North America in 2026.

Both Reuters and the AP reached out to AB InBev for a statement but did not receive a response by Friday morning.

The FIFA World Cup begins Sunday with the championship match scheduled for Dec. 18.

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