FIFA has changed its stance against fans attending World Cup matches with their refillable water bottles within the 16 stadiums in North America after receiving harsh criticisms from supporters’ clubs and influential political figures, Yankee Scores reports.
On Friday, FIFA released a new directive through their social media accounts stating, “all fans will be permitted to bring in one, soft, plastic, 20 ounces (590ml), factory sealed disposable water bottle into any FIFA World Cup 2026 match in the USA and Canada.”
But it added, “fans will not be permitted to bring in hard sided, reusable water bottles due to safety and security reasons.”
While FIFA had stipulated that supporters would have the opportunity to bring into the stadium a transparent reusable bottle of up to 1 liter, or 33.8-ounce capacity, a subsequent update on Tuesday clarified that “for the avoidance of doubt, reusable water bottles may not be brought into the stadium.”
The world football governing body justified the decision in a statement on Thursday, claiming that it is aimed at ensuring that the “prohibition of reusable water bottles will eliminate the risk of injuries caused by water bottles being potentially used to throw objects toward the pitch.”
“FIFA is committed to protecting the health and safety of all players, referees, fans, volunteers, and staff,” FIFA added.
FIFA U-Turn After Backlash
However, the policy changes amid rising temperatures of 90 degrees and above expected in most of the U.S., Mexico, and Canada cities where FIFA is holding the 104 matches were met with strong disapproval.
“Naturally, the immediate thought from supporters is this is just the latest money grab,” the English fan group the Free Lions stated.
During the World Cup, Coca-Cola remains FIFA’s only supplier of water, soda, and juice to World Cup stadiums, beginning Thursday when the event kicks off.
“We were extremely concerned that it might affect players out there, but now that the issue is affecting spectators too, I think it becomes more concerning because the heat that we are talking about is not just the heat that the players are in, it is also the heat that spectators are going to be subjected to for arguably a longer period of time,” New York mayor Zohran Mamdani explained in an interview on The Athletic.
British PM Keir Starmer labeled the policy as “wrong” and a way of making money.
