It will be a dry World Cup 2022 for most fans in Qatar’s newly-built football stadiums after the host nation said it will not allow alcohol sales during games.
In an announcement less than two days before the opening match, football’s governing body FIFA said that “a decision has been made to focus the sale of alcoholic beverages on the FIFA Fan Festival, other fan destinations and licensed venues, removing sales points of beer from … stadium perimeters.”
The decision is a U-turn from Qatar’s previous assurances that alcohol could be sold during the tournament. Qatar, a conservative Muslim nation, has strict rules limiting drink sales.
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It’s also a huge blow to tournament sponsor Budweiser, an Anheuser-Busch InBev (NYSE:BUD) brand, which embarked on one of its biggest marketing campaigns to date in anticipation of the World Cup and shipped a massive amount of product to the region, where it doesn’t have any breweries.
“Well, this is awkward…” Budweiser wrote in a since-deleted tweet.
The company will still be able to sell its non-alcoholic beer, Budweiser Zero, during the games, and in limited areas of the stadium restricted to FIFA officials and VIPs.
Shares of AB InBev were holding steady in New York at around US$55.50 on Friday.
The World Cup kicks off on Sunday when host nation Qatar takes on Ecuador in the opening match.
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