Qatar will permit ticketed fans to buy alcoholic beer at World Cup soccer matches starting three hours before kickoff and for one hour after the final whistle, but not during the match, a source with knowledge of plans for the tournament told Reuters.
The FIFA World Cup will be held in a Muslim-majority country for the first time, with strict controls on alcohol.
The alcoholic beer will be sold exclusively by Budweiser, a major World Cup sponsor, and will be served within the “ticketed perimeter surrounding each stadium, but not in the stadium stands or concourse,” the source said.
“Beer will be available when gates open, which is three hours before kick off. Whoever wants to have a beer will be able to. And then when they leave the stadium as well for one hour after the final whistle,” the source said.
Budweiser will also be allowed to serve beer in part of the main FIFA fan zone in central Doha “from 6:30pm to 1:00am every day of the 29-day tournament,” which kicks off on November 20 until December 18.
The tournament is expected to attract over 1 million visitors during its 29-day run.
The decision about where and when beer will be sold to fans is now finalised, but the price fans will be charged for a beer is still under discussion, the source told Reuters, adding they “are working closely with FIFA, which is managing the relationship with the Qatari authorities, to ensure our activations for the tournament are executed respectfully and in compliance with local rules and regulations.”
Budweiser will also open sales of its non-alcoholic beer, Budweiser Zero, in stadium concourses and stands during games and at other fan sites, the source said.
Qatar’s World Cup organisers, the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, did not respond to requests for comment about the World Cup controls on alcohol, Reuters reported.
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