The 2022 World Cup begun in earnest on Sunday, but the actual football has taken a backseat to all of the controversies plaguing the tournament.
One matter of contention concerned the sale of alcohol in Qatar, where public consumption of alcohol can be punished by years in prison.
While it was generally thought that the 2022 hosts would come to an agreement on rules that would allow international visitors to drink in specially designated areas for the duration of the tournament, Qatar’s government suddenly backtracked just days before the first match.
Alcohol being banned for the World Cup was not good for Budweiser, the beer brand that has been an official sponsor for the World Cup for over three decades.
Considering that Budweiser’s Anheuser-Busch spend around $75 million to be the tournament’s exclusive beer provider every time it comes around, Qatar refusing to sell alcohol wasn’t ideal.
Budweiser, however, managed to find the silver lining. “New Day, New Tweet,” the company wrote on Twitter over the weekend. “Winning Country gets the Buds. Who will get them?”
Now, depending on your predilection for commercial beer, a country getting a tonne of Budweiser may be a blessing or a curse. But with the winning country likely to be in party mode for weeks (or months), free beer of any kind definitely won’t go amiss.
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Interestingly, Budweiser had previously tweeted, “well, this is awkward,” about the whole alcohol debacle. Awkward indeed.
Which country will be getting all that free Bud? According to EA Sports’ FIFA 23 simulator, Argentina will be getting it.
All 64 matches of the upcoming tournament were played on the iconic video game, from the group stage all the way to the final, and it was determined that the South American giants will win the grand prize. In-depth player ratings used for the video game’s FIFA World Cup playing modes were used, so you know it’s legit.
And to be fair, it’s a strong possibility that Argentina will win, granting Lionel Messi the only major trophy that’s eluded him until now (and the one that should finally see him crowned as the undisputed greatest footballer of all time).
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New Day, New Tweet. Winning Country gets the Buds. Who will get them? pic.twitter.com/Vv2YFxIZa1
— Budweiser (@Budweiser) November 19, 2022