Football fans attending the upcoming FIFA World Cup in the USA, Mexico, and Canada (June 11 — July 19) will not be allowed to bring even empty water bottles into stadiums, despite expectations of temperatures frequently surpassing 30 degrees Celsius.
This updated regulation, part of FIFA’s revised stadium code of conduct, was confirmed by the organization following a report by The Athletic. The code now explicitly states: ‘To avoid any doubt, reusable water bottles are not permitted in the stadium.’
This marks a reversal from FIFA’s earlier announcement in May, which indicated that empty, transparent, reusable plastic bottles with a capacity of up to one liter would be allowed. When questioned by the AFP news agency, a FIFA spokesperson explained that the rule change was implemented for safety reasons.
Several World Cup host venues had already prohibited the use of refillable bottles. FIFA’s statement indicated that the decision to ban bottles was made to prevent potential risks and injuries to both players and visitors. The organization also confirmed that the prices for water bottles sold inside the stadiums would remain unchanged.
Experts Warn of Health Risks for Fans at the World Cup
Health experts are cautioning fans about the potential health risks they may face due to the anticipated heat during the World Cup matches.
A report released last month by the research group ‘World Weather Attribution’ estimated that 26 out of the 104 World Cup games are likely to be played under conditions where the Wet-Bulb-Global-Temperature exceeds 26 degrees Celsius, a threshold considered to pose an increased health risk for athletes. It is worth noting that during last year’s Club World Cup in the USA, fans were also prohibited from bringing water bottles into the stadiums.