FIFA bans reusable water bottles, then backs down: what fans can carry in

FIFA banned reusable bottles from US and Canada venues days before a tournament played in extreme heat. After backlash it settled on one rule: a single soft, factory-sealed bottle up to 590ml. What you can and cannot bring.

FIFA changed its mind on water in a week. The rules first let fans carry a clear reusable bottle of up to a litre into World Cup stadiums. Then, days before kickoff, FIFA reversed course and banned all reusable bottles, as Al Jazeera reported.

The reason FIFA gave was safety. A spokesperson told NBC News the ban was meant to prevent risk and injury to players and spectators, since a hard bottle can become a projectile. Critics read it differently and said it pushed fans to buy drinks inside the venues.

The timing drew heat, literally. Much of the tournament runs through the North American summer, and a study cited in the coverage found that 14 of the 16 stadiums could reach temperatures that threaten the health of players and fans. A bottle ban during a heatwave did not sit well with supporters or host-city politicians.

So FIFA softened it. The World Cup chief operating officer, Heimo Schirgi, announced a "clarification": fans can bring one factory-sealed, soft-plastic, disposable water bottle no bigger than 20 ounces, which is about 590 millilitres. Hard-sided reusable containers such as metal flasks and hard gym bottles stay banned. The rule covers the venues in the United States and Canada.

Other liquids face tight limits under the stadium code of conduct. Personal items such as sunscreen and hand sanitiser are capped at 100ml. Parents can bring up to a litre of baby milk or formula. Outside food or medical liquids of up to half a litre need an official medical certificate, written in English, French or Spanish.

For anyone travelling to the tournament, the practical takeaway is simple: carry one sealed soft bottle, leave the metal flask at home, and budget for buying water inside. For fans following from Kenya, it is a small but telling sign of how tightly this World Cup is being run off the pitch.