Countries competing for the greatest prize in football will have some extra motivation, as Budweiser confirmed that the champions will take home the warehouse full of beer intended for sale at the 64 matches of the 2022 Fifa World Cup.

FIFA buckle under Qatar pressure

In a controversial last-minute decision, Qatar informed FIFA that alcohol sales inside stadiums would not be permitted. FIFA was informed of this move just two days before the kick-off of the World Cup. At that stage, a warehouse filled with hundreds and thousands of litres of beer – worth an estimated €75m – was ready to be shipped to the eight stadiums.

The sale of alcohol will still be permitted at the FIFA Fan Festival, as well as at some hotel bars and restaurants. However, Budweiser, the tournament’s title sponsor, are in for a massive loss. This could see the American beer company sue FIFA. They paid $112m to win the sponsorship rights of the tournament.

An article published in The Sun in the UK on Sunday revealed that Budweiser will seek reparations. It could see $71m knocked off the deal for the rights to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Budweiser had to dock out an estimated $170m for the next World Cup, set to be decided in North America. USA, Mexico, and Canada will jointly host the tournament.

Following the announcement, the official Budweiser Twitter account tweeted, “Well, this is awkward…”.

The tweet has since been removed.

To the victor goes the beer

The Beer giant came up with an amazing alternative. In a separate tweet, nearly 25 hours after the “awkward” tweet, Budweiser said that the surplus beer will be sent to the nation that lifts the Couple du Monde on 18 December.

New Day, New Tweet. Winning Country gets the Buds. Who will get them? pic.twitter.com/Vv2YFxIZa1

— Budweiser (@Budweiser) November 19, 2022

This could either see the team have fridges filled with beer for at least a decade, or it could facilitate the most epic country-wide party.

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