Fans heading to games at the World Cup will be banned from taking reusable water bottles into stadiums, a last-minute policy reversal that could add to concerns about heat at this summer’s tournament.
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“FIFA made the decision to prohibit bottles to prevent risk and injury to players and attendees,” a spokesperson for the global soccer governing body told NBC News in a statement Thursday.
“Outside bottles are already prohibited at several of these venues for safety considerations, and FIFA is applying this consideration across its tournament stadiums,” the statement said.
The move comes as heat is expected to be a major issue during the tournament, which is being jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.
In parts of the southern U.S., daytime temperatures regularly climb into the mid-80s Fahrenheit and beyond during June and July. The Club World Cup held in the U.S. last summer drew complaints from players and fans about the heat.
FIFA said it was working with host cities to provide measures aimed at keeping fans safe in the heat.
“FIFA works closely with each host city committee and local authorities on heat mitigation factors for fans travelling to the stadium, which can include resources such as misting stations, fans, hydration stations, cooling tents and more around the stadium footprint,” the statement said.
The change was reflected in FIFA’s updated Stadium Code of Conduct, a 35-page document outlining prohibited items and spectator rules.
The code previously stated that fans could bring empty, transparent reusable plastic bottles with a capacity of up to one liter into stadiums.
But in an updated version that language was replaced with a new rule stating that reusable water bottles are no longer permitted inside venues.
This means attendees will not be able to refill an empty bottle at a water fountain or dispenser, and will have to purchase water inside the stadium if they want it. FIFA said that prices will not exceed standard venue rates.
Other items like bottles, cups, jars and cans are also banned from stadiums to prevent the risk of injury if they are thrown.
The decision prompted a backlash from some fans.
“What next? Suncream banned and fans forced to buy it in stadiums?” Free Lions, an England supporters’ group affiliated with the Football Supporters’ Association, wrote in a post on X Thursday.
“For how hot the stadiums will be, many in open air, just let fans bring a bottle if they want to,” the group added.
It said that “naturally, the immediate thought from supporters is this is just the latest money-grab,” and described the move as a “strange, late change.”
The water bottle ban comes as many fans have already voiced frustration over the cost of attending the tournament, citing expensive match tickets and travel costs.
The 48-team tournament, which runs from from June 11 to July 19, will include three-minute hydration breaks for players in each half of every game.
Research led by Queen’s University Belfast in Britain used 20 years of meteorological data to assess conditions at host stadiums using Wet Bulb Globe Temperature — a measure of heat stress that combines heat and humidity.
The study found that temperatures at 14 of the 16 stadiums being used for the World Cup could reach levels that pose health risks for players and spectators alike.
The FIFA stadium policy includes limited exceptions for some liquids.
Fans may bring baby milk and sterilized water in containers of up to one liter (33.8 oz.) per child.
Liquids required for medical reasons are also permitted, provided they do not exceed 500 milliliters (16.9oz.) and are accompanied by a medical certificate in English, French or Spanish. The person for whom the liquid is intended must also be present.
The code of conduct also prohibits a wide range of other obvious items, including weapons and fireworks, but also balloons and “devices that produce noise or other excessively loud sounds, such as vuvuzelas, whistles, air horns, loudspeakers, etc.”