Fifa Eases Water Bottle Ban for World Cup 2026

Fifa has rowed back on its controversial World Cup water bottle crackdown, softening a policy that had drawn fire from fan groups, scientific experts and the British prime minister.

In a fresh update for the 2026 tournament in North America, supporters will now be allowed to bring one soft, plastic, factory‑sealed disposable bottle of water – 20 ounces (590ml) – into stadiums in the USA and Canada.

It marks a partial reversal of a hardline stance announced earlier in the week, when organisers scrapped the original plan that let ticket holders carry in empty, transparent, reusable bottles of up to one litre. Reusable containers were suddenly out. The backlash was instant.

Heat and health experts had already raised alarms about the risk of extreme temperatures to spectators at a summer World Cup spread across the US and Canada. Fan groups questioned why, in that context, Fifa was making it harder – not easier – for people to stay hydrated.

Keir Starmer went further. Speaking to LBC on Friday, the British prime minister condemned the ban as “wrong” and accused organisers of chasing profit. He pointed to the contradiction at the heart of the move: supporters barred from bringing their own bottles, yet free to buy water once inside.

“So you can’t bring plastic bottles in but you can buy a bottle of water when you get in the crowd?” he said. “And then it’ll be expensive. The tickets themselves cost a fortune, far too expensive in my view. So the ticket sales are too high. And this is the wrong policy.”

Under pressure, Fifa shifted. In a statement, the governing body confirmed the new allowance for a single sealed disposable bottle per fan at World Cup 2026 matches in the USA and Canada.

The line on sturdier containers, though, has not changed. World Cup 2026 chief operating officer Heimo Schirgi underlined that “hard-sided resealable water containers” remain banned on safety and security grounds, with Fifa arguing they could be used as projectiles and “pose a safety and security risk.”

That rationale echoed the explanation given on Tuesday, when Fifa originally defended the ban as a measure to “prevent risk and injury to players and attendees.”

Yet the contrast with recent tournaments has been stark. At last summer’s Club World Cup in the United States, fans were allowed to bring empty bottles into stadiums, then fill them up once inside. Water was on sale there too, typically priced between £3 (€3.47) and £4.50.

This time, as temperatures and ticket prices climb, every detail of the matchday experience is under the microscope. Fifa has shifted once. The question now is whether one small, sealed bottle per fan will be enough to cool the anger – or the crowds.