FIFA, which stands for Federation Internationale de Football Association, is the organization that oversees association football, beach football, and futsal internationally. The organization was established in 1904 to regulate international competition between the national organizations of Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. FIFA has 211 national associations as members as of this writing. Its headquarters are in Zurich, Switzerland.
The men’s national teams of FIFA member countries will compete in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which will be the 22nd edition of the association football competition. From November 20 to December 18, 2022, it will take place in Qatar. After the event in South Korea and Japan in 2002, this will be the second World Cup wholly held in Asia and the first to be held in the Arab world. The competition will feature 32 competing teams for the last time. For the tournament in the United States, Mexico, and Canada in 2026, the number of teams will rise to 48.
Qatar is a country that lies in Western Asia. The rules and regulations are very strict in this nation. Qatar has a strong law against the sale of alcohol. Not only in Qatar but almost in all Muslim countries.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup is being organized in Qatar. This is the first time FIFA organizing such an event in any Muslim country.
Only two days before the inaugural game, Qatar abruptly reversed course on its agreement to secure the World Cup and outlawed the sale of beer in World Cup stadiums on Friday.
The action was the most recent indication of the tension surrounding hosting the event, which is both a sports competition and a month-long celebration, in the devout Muslim emirate where alcohol sales are severely regulated. Additionally, it dealt Budweiser, the official beer of the World Cup, a big blow and raised concerns about the degree of influence FIFA still has over the event. In what is known as the FIFA Fan Festival, beer will be offered in the evenings.
The country had agreed to FIFA’s demands that alcohol be sold in stadiums when it launched its bid to host the event, so Qatar’s tardy decision to outlaw beer sales in stadiums is seen as a major U-turn.
The fact that the information wasn’t made public until September, only 11 weeks before the start of the game, gives some indication of how difficult the discussions may have been. According to a statement released by FIFA on Friday, non-alcoholic beer will continue to be sold at the eight stadiums, and champagne, wine, whiskey, and other alcoholic beverages will continue to be offered in the opulent hospitality areas of the venues.
Although they will be able to consume alcoholic drinks in the night in what is known as the FIFA Fan Festival, a designated party area that also includes live music and entertainment, the vast majority of ticket holders do not have access to those sections. Although the sale of alcohol has long been authorized in hotel bars, Qatar places severe restrictions on its consumption outside of the locations where the tournament is being held.
Beer producer AB InBev had exclusive rights to sell beer at the World Cup. Budweiser is owned by AB InBev and is a prominent sponsor of Fifa. The availability of Bud Zero has not changed and it will still be available at all of Qatar’s World Cup stadiums.
The decision to restrict the sale of alcoholic beverages to the Fifa Fan Festival, other fan destinations, and licenced establishments, as well as to remove beer sales points from the Qatar 2022 World Cup stadium perimeters, was taken after discussions between the host country’s government and Fifa.
Authorities in the host country and Fifa will keep watch to ensure that all spectators have a good time, are treated with respect, and have fun when visiting the stadiums.