Brewer Budweiser was forced to change the location of beer stands outside World Cup stadiums after Qatar’s rulers wanted alcohol to be less prominent. In addition, the World Cup host imposed new alcohol restrictions on Budweiser to make late changes in eight stadiums.
Alcohol is allowed in the Muslim nation inside hotel bars and restaurants, away from street view, but it had to relax its alcohol restrictions to allow the FIFA sponsor to sell its products before and after matches.
Budweiser, one of FIFA’s most lucrative sponsors, has the exclusive right to sell beer at World Cup matches. Beer could now only be sold outside the stadium bowl, but inside the perimeter for ticket holders before kickoff or after each game.
Thousands of fans can buy beers three hours before each match and one hour after the end of the match, in order to respect the Muslim culture, which has strict controls on the consumption of alcoholic beverages. Budweiser beer has been the exclusive beverage of other World Cups, as it was also on sale in 1986 and renewed its contract with FIFA from 2011 to 2022.
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