"Accumulated Inventory to the Champion Country" ... Budweiser Faces Sudden Beer Ban

Qatar World Cup Organizers Reverse Alcohol Ban... FIFA President Says "Even Without Beer for 3 Hours..."
Budweiser: "We Will Give Banned Beer to the Winning Country"

On the 16th, four days before the opening of the 2022 Qatar World Cup (local time), beer for sale is displayed at a booth inside the FIFA Fan Festival venue in Doha, Qatar. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Lee Gyehwa] On the 20th (local time), according to Fox News in the United States and others, two days before the World Cup opening, Budweiser, the beer brand sponsoring the World Cup, reportedly decided to give its beer stock to the winning country after the Qatari government reversed its decision and banned beer sales at the stadiums.

On the 19th, Budweiser posted on Twitter, "The winning country gets Budweiser. Who will get it?" Along with the post, the company shared a photo of a warehouse stacked with Budweiser cans. Earlier, on the 18th, right after Qatar authorities announced the beer ban, Budweiser posted on Twitter, "Well, this is awkward..." but deleted the post within 90 minutes.

As an Islamic country, Qatar prohibits the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages except in very limited facilities such as hotels. Accordingly, restaurants do not sell alcohol either. However, when Qatar hosted the World Cup, the government initially allowed beer sales in designated areas near the stadium for ticket holders but reversed the decision at the last minute.

Budweiser is the exclusive beer sponsor of the World Cup and holds exclusive rights to sell beer to fans at the event. However, FIFA banned alcohol consumption entirely at the stadium before the opening ceremony, leaving the beer, which traveled 13,000 km, without a destination. Football fans arriving in Qatar only learned of this after their arrival.

Gianni Infantino, President of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), is holding a press conference on the morning of the 19th (local time) at the Main Media Center (MMC) in Doha, Qatar, one day before the opening of the 2022 Qatar World Cup. Photo by Yonhap News

As controversy grew over the sudden change, Gianni Infantino, President of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), said at a press conference on the 19th, "You won't die from not drinking beer for three hours," and "You can watch the World Cup without beer." He added, "There must be reasons why beer sales are banned at stadiums in France, Spain, and Scotland as well," and "Qatar's decision is causing more controversy because it is an Islamic country." He emphasized, "I want to make it clear that all decisions made for this World Cup are joint decisions between Qatar and FIFA."

Due to this measure, drinking is only allowed in the 'fan zones' in downtown Doha and some hotels catering to foreigners. However, the price of a 500ml beer in the fan zone reaches 12 pounds (about 19,000 won).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.