Fifa Softens World Cup Water Bottle Policy for 2026

Fifa has rowed back on its controversial World Cup water bottle clampdown, softening a policy that had drawn anger from fan groups, scientists and even the British prime minister.

In an update for the 2026 tournament in the USA, Canada and Mexico, the governing body will now allow every supporter to bring a single soft, plastic, factory-sealed disposable bottle of water – 20 ounces (590ml) – into stadiums in the USA and Canada.

It marks a partial U-turn. Earlier this week, Fifa had scrapped a previous rule that let ticket holders take in an empty, transparent, reusable bottle of up to one litre. Reusable containers were suddenly out, triggering a backlash at a tournament expected to be played in punishing summer heat across North America.

Fan groups and scientific experts had already warned about the risks of extreme temperatures for spectators. Then came a political hit from London. Keir Starmer, speaking to LBC, called the measure “wrong” and suggested it was “about making money”, pointing out the contradiction of banning bottles at the gate while selling water inside.

His criticism cut to the heart of supporter frustration. Fans could not bring in their own containers, yet they would still be able to buy drinks in the stadium – at prices that, if last summer’s Club World Cup is any guide, will not be cheap. At that tournament in the United States, water sold for between £3 (€3.47) and £4.50, even as supporters were allowed to carry in empty bottles to refill.

This time, Fifa insists safety sits at the core of its thinking. Announcing the revised stance, World Cup 2026 chief operating officer Heimo Schirgi underlined that “hard-sided resealable water containers” remain banned, arguing they “could pose a safety and security risk”.

That line echoes Fifa’s justification earlier in the week, when it said the original ban aimed to “prevent risk and injury to players and attendees”. The outcry since then has forced a recalibration rather than a full retreat: one sealed disposable bottle per fan, no reusable flasks, and no hard containers of any kind.

For many supporters, the change will feel like a halfway house. They regain at least some access to water on their own terms, but lose the flexibility and environmental sense of reusable bottles in a tournament spread across vast, often sweltering host cities.

The World Cup is still two years away. The temperatures will not drop. The ticket prices, as Starmer bluntly noted, are already “far too expensive”. Under that kind of heat, on and off the pitch, this will not be the last policy Fifa is forced to revisit.