Fifa's Partial Reversal on World Cup Water Bottle Ban

Fifa has rowed back on its controversial World Cup water bottle ban – but only halfway.

After a week of mounting criticism, the governing body has confirmed that fans at matches in the USA and Canada in 2026 will now be allowed to bring one soft, plastic, factory-sealed disposable bottle of water into stadiums, up to 20 ounces (590ml).

That is a clear shift from the position announced earlier in the week, when supporters were told they could no longer bring in any reusable bottles at all. Under the original guidance, ticket holders had been permitted to carry an empty, transparent, reusable container of up to one litre and fill it once inside. The updated rules abruptly removed that option and sparked a backlash.

Fan groups and scientific experts had already raised alarm over the potential impact of extreme heat on spectators’ health at a summer tournament spread across North America. Then came a stinging political intervention. The British prime minister, Keir Starmer, branded the measure “wrong” and suggested it was “about making money”.

His criticism cut to the heart of supporters’ anger. Fifa’s stance meant no personal bottles at the turnstiles, yet water would still be available to buy inside the grounds – at a premium. At last summer’s Club World Cup in the United States, where fans were allowed to bring in empty bottles, water in stadiums cost between £3 (€3.47) and £4.50.

Speaking to LBC, Starmer underlined the frustration many fans feel about the creeping cost of attending major events. “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,” he said. “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.”

Fifa had initially defended the clampdown by citing safety concerns, saying on Tuesday that the ban was designed to “prevent risk and injury to players and attendees”. The argument has not disappeared. World Cup 2026 chief operating officer Heimo Schirgi stressed that while single-use bottles will now be allowed, tougher containers remain off limits.

“What is not allowed are hard-sided resealable water containers, which could pose a safety and security risk,” Schirgi said.

So the new line is a compromise: one small, sealed, disposable bottle per fan, no reusable flasks, no hard-sided containers. It is a partial retreat rather than a full reversal, leaving the debate over supporter welfare, commercial pricing and security to run right into a World Cup that will be played in some of the most testing conditions the tournament has ever seen.