MUSTAFA ABUMUNES/AFP via Getty Images

FIFA announced Friday the sale of
alcohol inside stadiums and around stadium perimeters at the 2022 World Cup has been banned just
two days before the tournament gets underway in Qatar.

Fans will be able to purchase alcoholic
beverages at the FIFA Fan Festival, which is located at Al Bidda Park
in Doha, as well as other fan destinations. Stadiums will serve Bud Zero, a zero-alcohol beer:

In September, tournament organizers
announced alcohol would be sold at stadiums before and after matches,
but not during the games themselves.

Tariq Panja of the New York Times
reported Monday there was a “demand” from the Qatari royal family
to relocate Budweiser beer tents near stadiums to become less visible
amid concern they would “unsettle the local population and thus
represent a potential security problem.”

Qatar isn’t a dry country but there’s “zero tolerance for drinking in public, and being drunk in public is
a crime,” per Joe Brophy of TalkSport.

FIFA didn’t provide an official reason
for the late decision to ban alcohol sales in and around
stadiums.

Along with the reversal, the host
country has faced “heavy criticism” for last-minute construction
work to complete fan zones along with unfinished areas of
transportation hubs and stadiums, per ESPN’s Tom Hamilton.

Qatar’s national team, which
automatically qualified for the World Cup as the host nation, will play
in the tournament’s first match Sunday against Ecuador.

The 32-team event runs through Dec. 18.