Qatar are planning specific measures to prevent fans taking alcohol to the 2022 World Cup with it only allowed to be consumed in select areas of stadiums through this year’s edition.
Supporters are warned against attempting to take their own alcohol into the country while attending the Fifa tournament. The competition runs from November 20 to December 18, and is the first of the 22 editions to take place in the Middle East and last with 32 nations.
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A vast influx of fans are expected to descend on Qatar for the competition, with 2.5 million tickets already sold. But the World Cup will also carry the strictest regulations over alcohol consumption of any tournament yet, with fines and prison sentences possible for a breach.
The Daily Mail note the UK Foreign Office advice is that supporters caught drinking alcohol in public whilst in Qatar for the World Cup face fines of up to £720. Prison sentences of up to six months are also possible, with the event held in a Muslim country for the first time.
Alcohol consumption is prohibited in Islam, whilst Qatar’s Safety and Security Operations committee chief Colonel Jassim Abdulrahim Al Sayed refused to specify the measures that the country will be putting in place to prevent supporters taking alcohol in their luggage.
Where will alcohol be allowed at the 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar?
Alcohol will be allowed in some part at the 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar, with fans able to purchase items at the main Fan Fest and in licensed hotels or restaurants. But fans will not be able to purchase alcohol before 18:30 local time at the Fan Fest in Doha’s Al Bidda Park.
The fan zone will hold 40,000 spectators in the capital city, whilst those with match tickets will have access to drink options within the stadium perimeter. However, these will only be available prior to kick-off and after the full-time whistle and not inside the actual stadiums.
Qatar will only allow non-alcoholic beverages to be served inside the actual stadium bowls during the World Cup, BBC Sport report. But this still marks a relaxation of the rules for the country, which expects around 1.2 million visitors to arrive across this year’s tournament.
“While alcohol will be available to those who want a drink in designated areas, it will not be openly available on the streets,” CEO Nasser Al Khater told BBC Sport. “What we ask is that people, when they visit, stick to these designated areas.”
Are there any other rules on alcohol consumption and how much will it cost?
Locals and ex-pats with residency permits to live in Qatar are allowed to purchase alcohol for consumption within their own homes. But the price visiting spectators will be charged could vary considerably through their stays, with Al Khater aware it could pose a problem.
“We recognise there is an issue with the price and it is something we are looking into,” Al Khater said, via talkSPORT. “We are looking at finding ways to reduce the price of alcohol.”
Currently, the price of beer in Doha will set supporters back around £10 – due to a ‘sin tax’ on alcohol, talkSPORT note, with Qatar being a Muslim country. Also, alcohol will only be sold to those over the age of 21 from licensed vendors through the tournament’s duration.
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