FIFA Will No Longer Allow Fans To Bring Water Into World Cup Stadiums

Attending a major sporting event can be exhausting, expensive, and demeaning. But there has always been at least one game-day opportunity that can provide a little bit of satisfaction: the ability to buy an ice-cold bottle of water from a guy with a cooler in the parking lot for a buck or two, and then bring your prize into the stadium. Look at you, all hydrated and frugal!

Because FIFA seems dead-set on making this year's World Cup as hostile to attendees as possible, however, soccer fans who have already spent at least a month's salary on tickets are now being told that they can't even bring cheap water into the stadium. This information comes to us from The Athletic, which has reviewed emails that FIFA sent out to ticket-holders this week, informing them of the reversal of a previous policy allowing sealed, plastic water bottles to be brought into stadiums:

However, according to emails seen by The Athletic , FIFA have informed World Cup ticket holders that they have updated the code of conduct and the correspondence told fans that “reusable water bottles are no longer permitted at the FIFA World Cup 2026™ stadiums”.

The code of conduct, which was updated on June 2, has removed the prior guidance permitting an empty and reusable plastic bottle. It now reads: “For the avoidance of doubt, reusable water bottles may not be brought into the stadium.”