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Budweiser Cheekily Responds to FIFA's Alcohol Sale Ban at the World Cup FIFA and officials from Qatar, this year's host country, announced just days before the tournament began that alcohol sales would no longer be permitted inside of the stadium.

By Emily Rella

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

This year's World Cup has been rocked by restrictions due to strict rules in the predominantly Muslim country of Qatar.

Just days before the tournament began, FIFA and Qatari officials announced that the sale of alcohol would be banned, a huge detriment to Budweiser and parent company Anheuser-Busch InBev, which is now facing a surplus of beer that was meant to supply fans and spectators during the duration of the tournament.

The decision came as a surprise — and a major upset — to the company as the month-long alcohol sales ban will most likely mean quarterly revenue will take a hit.

Budweiser seems to be making light of the circumstances, however, by posting a photo of the surplus beer cases inside a warehouse.

"New Day, New Tweet. Winning Country gets the Buds," the company wrote. "Who will get them?"

The cheeky Tweet might have been a nod to a now-deleted Tweet by Budweiser over the weekend which reportedly said "Well, this is awkward" following FIFA's announcement that beverages would no longer be sold.

"We tried until the end to see whether it was possible," FIFA president Gianni Infantino said to press about the decision to instate the ban. "If for three hours a day you cannot drink a beer, you will survive. Maybe there is a reason why in France, in Spain, in Scotland, alcohol is banned in stadiums.

Fans will still be able to purchase alcohol during the FIFA Fan Festival which takes place at night, though there will be restrictions on how much people will be permitted to purchase.

The World Cup kicked off on Sunday with a match between Qatar and Ecuador.

Emily Rella

Senior News Writer

Emily Rella is a Senior News Writer at Entrepreneur.com. Previously, she was an editor at Verizon Media. Her coverage spans features, business, lifestyle, tech, entertainment, and lifestyle. She is a 2015 graduate of Boston College and a Ridgefield, CT native. Find her on Twitter at @EmilyKRella.

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