FIFA to allow fans to bring disposable water bottle into World Cup stadiums after backlash

City officials made an announcement on the changes they are making to help getting around the city easier.

FIFA has tweaked its water bottle policy and will now allow fans attending World Cup matches to bring one disposable water bottle into stadiums in Canada and the United States.

The change was announced on Friday after FIFA was criticized for its last-minute decision this week to prohibit fans from bringing their own water bottles into the venues, which Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow called “pure money grab.”

FIFA said the disposable water bottle should be plastic, soft, 590 millilitres (20 ounces), and factory sealed.

Hard-sided reusable water bottles are still not allowed “due to safety and security reasons,” FIFA said.

Earlier in the day, City of Toronto officials said they reached out to FIFA about the ban, sharing their concerns about the possible heat impacts.

“I have reached out to FIFA. We have had a conversation. Obviously, we’re waiting for a final decision,” Sharon Bollenbach, executive director of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Toronto Secretariat, told reporters at a news conference Friday morning.

“I think they’re sort of taking a second look at that.”

Toronto‘s plan to tackle heat

Bollenbach said that while she can’t force FIFA to change its policy at the stadiums, the city is taking measures to help people stay hydrated in areas under its control

“We will be allowing clear plastic refillable water bottles into FIFA Fan Festival,” she said, “and we will have HTO-To-Go stations and water stations at Fan Festival for fans to access water.”

The city will also have water stations at Nathan Phillips Square and other areas where large crowds are expected help people deal with the heat.

The city’s top doctor also weighed in on the water bottle ban at stadiums Friday, saying she has expressed concern about heat impacts in potentially steamy weather.

“If there was a heat alert on a game day, and people didn’t have access to water, we are concerned about the potential for heat impacts,” Dr. Michelle Murti, Toronto’s medical officer of health, told reporters on Friday morning.

“That is part of the response that we provided to the FIFA organizing committee, to say that we would want to make sure we are looking at everything possible, so that fans within the stadium can maintain that proper hydration to avoid any heat-related health impacts.”

She pointed out that in the event of a heat alert, there will be cooling spaces open to the public.

Toronto Stadium, normally known as BMO Field, has been expanded for FIFA to accommodate upward of 45,000 people. Half of the matches are set to be played at the open-air stadium in the middle of the day.