Only 48 hours before the opening kickoff, FIFA declared a prohibition on selling alcoholic beverages at all eight World Cup 2022 stadiums. Budweiser was left with a weak $75 million beverage sponsorship deal and lots of beer.
Planning to Ship Unsold Beer
But not everything was a waste. A day later, the company’s producer Anheuser-Busch InBev tweeted that it would be giving away a big amount of its unsold alcoholic drink to the 2022 World Cup champion.
Based on the sources, a spokesperson said that the company wishes to provide the fans of the winning nation this celebration from the FIFA World Cup stadiums. For the victorious nation, they will host the grand championship celebration.
Budweiser and FIFA
According to The Sun, the company has agreements worth approximately $113 million for the World Cup in 2026 and approximately $75 million with FIFA, the governing body of soccer, to serve beer at the World Cup in 2022. The same publication claims that, in light of the recent debacle, the world’s largest brewery may be slashing the sponsorship arrangement for 2026 by almost $47 million.
Alcohol sales are severely regulated in Qatar, and only indoor, out-of-sight consumption is permitted at hotel bars and restaurants. However, it consented to loosen its alcohol restrictions so that Budweiser may sell its alcoholic beverages in specific locations and at particular times.
As per the request of Qatar’s Al Thani royal family, the World Cup organizers abruptly changed course and announced a complete ban on the selling of alcohol in the stadiums. The alcohol-free beverage Bud Zero is still permitted for sale inside stadiums.
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