A celebratory pint during the FIFA World Cup might look a bit different this year. While organizers still plan to serve alcohol during the month-long competition, there’s a few caveats to imbibing.
Specific areas at the event will be designated to help fans sober up after being overserved, according to an Oct. 13 article by ESPN. The tournament will be held in Qatar this year, a country with restricted alcohol laws.
A “sobering tent” will offer an alternative to arrests or ticketing for public drunkenness. There, tipsy fans will be supervised until they’re determined to be coherent enough to return to the event. They’ll then be released with a warning, according to ESPN.
“It’s a place to make sure that they keep themselves safe, they’re not harmful to anybody else,” Qatar World Cup chief Nasser Al Khater tells Sky News.
As worldwide soccer fans gather in Qatar in late November, select drinking experiences will be available to them. Alcohol sales will be available outside of stadiums and in select “fan areas” inside of the stadium before and after games. Typically, only hotel bars and other licensed establishments in Qatar may serve alcohol. Public consumption is heavily restricted in the country and, in some cases, punishable by law.
The 22nd FIFA World Cup will take place from Nov. 20-Dec. 18. Qatar is the first country in the Middle East to host the soccer competition.
As of Oct. 13, 95 percent of World Cup tickets had already been sold, according to Sky News. For those planning to cheer on their team at the matches — and enjoy a pre-game beer or two in those designated areas — the time to book tickets is now.
