Beer price at World Cup

HALF a litre of beer will cost $13.73 inside the main fan zone at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, a source with knowledge of alcohol sales at the tournament told Reuters.

Major World Cup sponsor, Budweiser, has exclusive rights to sell beer at the finals and will serve its products at the 40 000 capacity FIFA Fan Fest in central Doha’s Al Bidda Park.

The beer maker will also serve beer within the ticketed perimeter surrounding each stadium, where the beer price is “to be confirmed,” said the source.

The World Cup, which kicks off in Qatar on Sunday, is the first to be held in a Muslim country with strict controls on alcohol.

While not a “dry” state like neighbouring Saudi Arabia, consuming alcohol in public places is illegal in Qatar. The beer price in the FIFA fan zone falls in line with relatively expensive prices hotel bars charge in the Gulf Arab state, where a beer also costs around $13.73 per half-litre.

Tournament organisers, who started negotiating the alcohol price with FIFA in at least 2019, had said they wanted to make alcohol “accessible” to fans and that Qatar would consider offering alcohol at lower prices.

At the FIFA Club World Cup held in Qatar that year a half-litre of beer cost around $6.50.

Non-alcoholic beer will also be sold in the fan zone for $7.98 and soft drinks for $3.99.