Days after the announcement that alcohol sales would be banned at the World Cup, event sponsor Budweiser has revealed its plans for the beer that was originally intended for sale.
Two days before the start of the World Cup in Qatar, the decision was made to ban beer sales at the eight stadiums hosting the 64 matches. Only nonalcoholic beer will be allowed to be sold.
Budweiser announced on social media that it planned to throw “the biggest Winner’s celebration — ever” and shared a photo of thousands of cases of beer in a storage facility.
Budweiser, owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev, is a major sponsor of the World Cup, and had previously been awarded the exclusive rights to sell beer within a ticketed perimeter around the stadiums, Reuters reported.
The company confirmed its plans to send the beer to the winning country to CNN, saying it “wants to bring this celebration from the FIFA World Cup stadiums to the winning country’s fans.” A spokesperson told CNN more details would be shared closer to the World Cup finals.
Budweiser’s sponsorship deal was valued at an estimated $75 million, The Guardian reported.
Budweiser has been a World Cup sponsor since the 1986 tournament in Mexico, Reuters reported.
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