While most fans attending football matches at the World Cup in Qatar have been told they will no longer be able to buy beer in the stadiums, those in corporate hospitality lounges can – at a price.
At a cost of $3,000 (£2,522) per ticket, fans will be able to enjoy high-end alcoholic drinks and fine food in the luxurious hospitality lounges, suites and restaurants at the eight stadiums built and renovated for football’s biggest event.
For £4,000, a mixologist and premium spirits are thrown in.
Even at the entry price of $950 (£799) per person, clients of long-time FIFA partner MATCH Hospitality can be served wine, beer and “street food on the move” in a tented village next to the stadium.
“Precisely the kind of experience that people would expect in a fine restaurant, or in a sports bar,” MATCH executive chairman Jaime Byrom told Associated Press (AP).
It will be a vastly different experience from regular fans at the tournament, which starts on Sunday when the host country faces Ecuador in the opening match, because Qatar decided, just two days before the opener, to reverse a decision to sell beer inside the stadiums.
Access to alcohol is strictly limited in the conservative Islamic nation, but it had initially been granted for the tournament. Now, only alcohol-free Bud Zero will be sold inside the stadium grounds at the 64 games.
Drunk fans will be sent to special zones to sober up, says Qatar World Cup boss
Qatar insists hosting of 2022 World Cup ‘not up for discussion’
Donald Trump drops three diplomatic clangers over Qatar in one outburst
It was a stunning reversal – and a potential breach of contract – for Budweiser’s parent company, AB InBev, and a brand that has been served at the football World Cup for 36 years.
The company said in a statement it was “circumstances beyond our control”.
The late U-turn won’t have an effect on the luxury end of the supporters’ market, however. Every one of the 250,000 tickets sold to customers of MATCH Hospitality can still be served drinks with alcohol as promised.
Those who have bought “Pavilion” category tickets ($1,900 or £1,597) can have spirits as well as wine and beer.
To add Champagne and cocktails, fans will need to have purchased a “Business” class ticket at a cost of $3,050 (£2,564).
‘Old world grandeur and glamour’
But the height of luxury is the Pearl Lounge, with seats at the halfway line in Lusail Stadium – the venue that will host the final and nine other matches. Prices start at $4,950 (£4,161) and come with “mixologists, Champagne selection, sommeliers, and premium spirits”.
“Pearl Lounge exudes old-world grandeur and glamour, like the symbol from which it takes its name,” MATCH’s sales pitch says.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
It has all added up to record sales for MATCH, which is providing hospitality at its fourth World Cup – though the Byrom family which runs the company has worked with FIFA since the 1980s.
“Our program has been far more successful than we could have hoped for,” a spokesperson for Byrom told AP.
Being able to serve alcohol discreetly but without limitations in Qatar was agreed when MATCH renewed with FIFA in 2011. That was the year after FIFA picked Qatar as host.
MATCH agreed in 2011 to pay FIFA a guaranteed $300m, plus a share of profits to cover all of its tournaments for eight years from 2015-23.
That is at least double what FIFA should earn from the Budweiser sponsorship over the same period.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
MATCH has also tailored its service to the cultural sensitivities of the Middle East. Separate lounge areas have been created for families and people who do not drink alcohol.
