A new way to make money?: Fans are prohibited from bringing reusable bottles to stadiums during the FIFA World Cup

FIFA's ban on reusable water bottles at the 2026 World Cup has sparked further criticism from fans and environmental activists. (Image credits – Heute; licence details.)

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is less than a week away, and it has already sparked controversy, whether it's over ticket prices or the harsh playing conditions caused by the weather. However, a new controversy has surfaced, and it has nothing to do with the previous ones. 

FIFA has decided to prohibit fans from bringing reusable water bottles into stadiums during the summer tournament, which has sparked widespread outrage from fans and climate activists who believe it is inhumane not to carry refillable water bottles in such hot weather.

According to FIFA's latest stadium regulations, spectators attending World Cup matches will not be permitted to bring refillable water bottles onto the premises. Fans will instead have to buy water inside the stadium and use the designated disposable containers provided by vendors. 

Football's governing body has defended this regulation, stating that it was implemented to improve crowd management, reduce safety risks, and make security checks easier. The fan backlash is completely understandable. Refillable bottles are common at all sporting events around the world, but it has suddenly become an issue just a few days before the World Cup begins. 

Many have criticised FIFA for turning this into one of their "money-making schemes", claiming that it will force spectators to spend more money inside stadiums where prices for beverages and even water are higher than usual.

People are furious because summer temperatures are expected to be extremely high in several host cities in Mexico and the United States. Fans in Dallas, Houston, Guadalajara, and Mexico City should brace themselves for extreme heat, so access to water is a basic humane necessity.

This move has also sparked concern among environmental and climate activists, which is understandable. FIFA has always promoted environmental sustainability measures, including reusability. The ban on reusable bottles contradicts all of the organising body's efforts to promote this cause. 

Forcing supporters to buy single-use bottles would also result in a massive amount of plastic waste during the tournament, which is expected to draw millions of fans from all over the world. As a result, FIFA has faced criticism for prioritising profit over climate sustainability in the world's largest sporting event.

While FIFA insists that this move was not made to increase revenue, but rather to ensure safety at all tournament venues. It has also stated that hydration stations and beverage facilities will be available for supporters to use, but at a cost. However, fans are not convinced, and this controversy has harmed the host country's reputation ahead of the World Cup even more.

The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Sir Keir Starmer, has slammed FIFA for this decision, claiming that prohibiting fans from carrying reusable bottles is all about making more money.

"It's just wrong. And I can't help but think that it's about making money. So you can't bring plastic bottles in, but you can buy a bottle of water when you get in the crowd? And then it'll be expensive. The tickets themselves cost a fortune, far too expensive in my view,” said Starmer in an interview. (sic)

He added, “So the ticket sales are too high. And this is the wrong policy. Well, I would call on FIFA to just look again at this. Think about it. Think of the fans. They are football fans from all sorts of backgrounds across our country, across the world. They're already spending a fortune getting there. They've got to pay a lot for tickets, too much in my book. Don't impose further costs on them. So I'd tell FIFA to look again.” (sic)

In my opinion, FIFA's decision is difficult to justify. They've spent years promoting environmental sustainability, but their current actions contradict their policy. While security concerns are understandable, most stadiums around the world provide free water refill stations. FIFA is forcing fans to pay a higher price for water and other beverages in the stadium. 

This appears to be a revenue-generating decision rather than a safety measure. Football's greatest event should be about making the fans' experience something they would remember forever, not creating additional and unnecessary costs for the fans who are already spending heavily on tickets, travelling and accommodation.