An expected 1.3 million fans will visit Qatar during World Cup 2022, and many of them will be looking to partake in a few adult beverages while they are there.
But this World Cup will be unlike any other when it comes to alcohol consumption. Qatar strictly regulates the sale of alcohol, which is usually served only in hotel restaurants and bars that have licenses.
Those restaurants and bars will have alcohol available to visitors during the World Cup, but drinks won’t be cheap: ESPN says that a pint of beer at several luxury hotels ranges from around $13.50 to $16.
FIFA has confirmed some additional options for fans to consume alcohol in Qatar.
Alcoholic beer supplied by World Cup sponsor Budweiser will be available in specially designated areas within stadiums before and after games, though sales during games will be restricted to non-alcoholic Budweiser Zero and fans will not be able to bring alcohol to their seats.
A source told Reuters: “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.”
There will also be alcohol available for purchase inside the 40,000-capacity FIFA Fan Festival in downtown Doha, but only on matchdays between 6:30 p.m. and about 1 a.m.
Though the rules around alcohol at the World Cup will be much stricter than past tournaments, they do represent a compromise for Muslim-majority Qatar.
Drinking in public can sometimes lead to a six-month prison sentence or $800 fine, but ESPN said those rules are unlikely to be strictly applied during the World Cup.
With alcohol available but restricted, fans may be tempted to bring their own into the country. Qatar has a message for those fans: don’t.
“There are specific measures [to prevent smuggling alcohol],” Col. Jassim Abdulrahim Al Sayed of the safety and security operations committee said at a news conference in Doha. “I think alcohol will not be allowed through the airport and suitcases.”
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