Qatar bans beer from World Cup stadiums after 11th-hour U-turn

Fifa has confirmed alcohol will be banned for World Cup fans at grounds in a major and unprecedented volte-face just two days before the tournament will kick off in Qatar. The news that it will not be sold inside or around the perimeter of stadiums was confirmed by Fifa in a terse statement on Friday afternoon.

However it has now decided that alcohol will be available at matches only in hospitality boxes, where the cheapest suites are nearly £20,000 a match, and some fan zones after 7pm, where it will cost nearly £12 for 500ml of Budweiser.

In their view, this is a tournament where there will be a large number of supporters from Gulf and Asian countries, where drinking alcohol is not part of the culture. And whereas there are some alcohol-free fan zones in Doha, in a stadium it is hard to escape people who have been drinking.