World football governing body’s measures have been criticised as motivated by commercial interests, although Fifa claims they are for safety
Fifa has stepped back from plans to ban refillable water bottles in stadiums at the 2026 World Cup, after backlash from football fans and political leaders.
The governing body announced on Friday that spectators will now be allowed to bring one factory-sealed plastic water bottle of up to 590ml into matches at the tournament. Fifa said hard-sided reusable bottles would remain prohibited, apparently on safety grounds.
The decision is a change from their announcement earlier this week banning fans from carrying transparent reusable bottles of up to one litre into stadiums.
Fifa defended the restriction by saying that bottles could be used as projectiles and that the measure was intended to reduce risks to players, spectators and staff.
But it left supporters and top figures worried about the welfare of spectators in the stadium during a tournament expected to be played in high American summer temperatures.
Several host cities are expected to experience temperatures above 32℃ during the competition’s 104 matches.
Supporters’ groups also claimed that Fifa had introduced the ban due to commercial interests while falsely claiming they were interested in safety. All drinks inside stadiums are supplied exclusively by Fifa sponsor Coca-Cola and the refillable water bottle ban means that more people will have to buy from them.
New York mayor Zohran Mamdani also criticised the ban and UK prime minister Keir Starmer said the policy was “wrong” and suggested it was motivated by financial interests. The World Cup is less than a week away.
