DOHA, Qatar —

Qatar banned the sale of beer at World Cup stadiums on Friday, a sudden U-turn on the deal the conservative Muslim emirate made to secure the soccer tournament with only two days to go before the opening game.

The move was the latest sign of the tension of staging the event, which is not just a sports tournament but also a monthlong party, in the autocratic country where the sale of alcohol is heavily restricted. It's also a significant blow to World Cup beer sponsor Budweiser and raised questions about how much control FIFA retains over its tournament.

When Qatar launched its bid to host the World Cup, the country agreed to FIFA's requirements of selling alcohol in stadiums — but the details were only released in September, just 11 weeks before the first kickoff, suggesting how fraught the negotiations may have been. Friday's statement from FIFA said non-alcoholic beer will still be sold at the eight stadiums, while champagne, wine, whiskey and other alcohol will be served in the luxury hospitality areas of the arenas.

But the vast majority of ticket holders don't have access to those areas; they will be able to drink alcoholic beer in the evenings in what is known as the FIFA Fan Festival, a designated party area that also offers live music and activities. Outside of the tournament-run areas, Qatar puts strict limits on the purchase and consumption of alcohol, though its sale has been permitted in hotel bars for years.

"Following discussions between host country authorities and FIFA, a decision has been made to focus the sale of alcoholic beverages on the FIFA Fan Festival, other fan destinations and licensed venues, removing sales points of beer from ... stadium perimeters," FIFA said in a statement.

As the news broke, Budweiser's Twitter account tweeted: "Well, this is awkward..." without elaborating. The tweet was later deleted.

Ab InBev, the parent company of Budweiser, acknowledged in a statement that some of its plans "cannot move forward due to circumstances beyond our control."

The company pays tens of millions of dollars at each World Cup for exclusive rights to sell beer and has already shipped the majority of its stock from Britain to Qatar in expectation of selling its product to millions of fans. While the actual sales at the tournament might not be a significant percentage of the massive company's revenues, the World Cup nonetheless represents a major branding opportunity.

The company's partnership with FIFA started at the 1986 tournament, and they are in negotiations for renewing their deal for the next World Cup in North America.

Ronan Evain, the executive director of the fan group Football Supporters Europe, called the decision to ban beer sales at the stadiums in Qatar "extremely worrying."

"For many fans, whether they don't drink alcohol or are used to dry stadium policies at home, this is a detail. It won't change their tournament," Evain wrote on Twitter. "But with 48 (hours) to go, we've clearly entered a dangerous territory — where 'assurances' don't matter anymore."

Qatar, which is governed by a hereditary emir who has absolute say over all governmental decisions, follows an ultraconservative form of Islam known as Wahhabism like neighboring Saudi Arabia. In recent years, Qatar has transformed into an ultra-modern hub following a natural gas boom in the 1990s, but it has faced pressure from within to stay true to its Islamic heritage and Bedouin roots. Islam forbids the consumption of alcohol.

In the runup to the World Cup, rights groups have raised concerns about how the nation will host millions of foreign fans, some of whom might violate Islamic laws criminalizing public drunkenness, sex outside of marriage and homosexuality.

Qatar's government and its Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Friday's was not Qatar's first backtrack — but it was the most significant. Last weekend, AB InBev was left surprised by a new policy insisted on by Qatari organizers to move beer stalls to less visible locations within the stadium compounds.

And Qatar also changed the date of the opening match only weeks before the World Cup began.

Below article from 2018:

Previous World Cup hosts have been asked to make concessions. For the 2014 tournament, Brazil was forced to change a law to allow alcohol sales in stadiums — but the same cultural issues were not at play.

AB InBev's deal with FIFA was renewed in 2011 — after Qatar was picked as host. However, the Belgium-based brewer has faced uncertainty in recent months on the exact details of where it can serve and sell beer in Qatar. And some have balked at the price, which was confirmed at $14 for a beer.

At the W Hotel in Doha — where the company will be based — workers continued putting together a Budweiser-themed bar planned at the site. Its familiar AB logo was plastered on columns and walls at the hotel, with one reading: "The World Is Yours To Take."

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Associated Press writer Jon Gambrell contributed to this report.

The best soccer players in the world are set to take center stage when the FIFA World Cup begins Sunday in Qatar.

Taking place in the winter for the first time ever, 32 teams are vying to be crowned the winner of the world's biggest sporting event.

The hosting country is set to kick off the event when they take on Ecuador at 11 a.m. ET.

Team USA, which failed to qualify for the games in 2018, is playing in Group B and will face England, Iran, and Wales, which is a team the Americans have never faced.

The U.S. will open up its World Cup campaign on Monday when they take on Wales at 2 p.m. ET. They will face England the day after Thanksgiving on Nov. 25 at 2 p.m. and will play Iran on Nov. 29 at 2 p.m. ET.

The United States has had some mild success playing in the World Cup.

During its last two World Cup appearances, the team advanced to the Round of 16 before they were eliminated. In 2002, they advanced to the quarterfinals. They made it to the semifinals in 1930.

The U.S. has somewhat of a history with two of the teams in its group.

Against England, the U.S. tied them 1-1 in 2010 but defeated them 1-0 in 1950. Team USA lost to Iran in 1998.

Here is a complete schedule of games (All times U.S./Eastern):

Group stage

Sunday
Qatar vs. Ecuador, 11 a.m. on Fox and Telemundo

Monday
England vs. Iran, 8 a.m. on FS1 and Telemundo
Senegal vs. Netherlands, 11 a.m. on Fox and Telemundo
United States vs. Wales, 2 p.m. on Fox and Telemundo

Tuesday
Argentina vs. Saudi Arabia, 5 a.m. on FS1 and Telemundo
Denmark vs. Tunisia, 8 a.m. on FS1 and Telemundo
Mexico vs. Poland, 11 a.m. on Fox and Telemundo
France vs. Australia, 2 p.m. on Fox and Telemundo

Wednesday
Morocco vs. Croatia, 5 a.m. on FS1 and Telemundo
Germany vs. Japan, 8 a.m. on FS1 and Telemundo
Spain vs. Costa Rica, 11 a.m. on Fox and Telemundo
Belgium vs. Canada, 2 p.m. on Fox and Telemundo

Thursday
Switzerland vs. Cameroon, 5 a.m. on FS1 and Telemundo
Uruguay vs. South Korea, 8 a.m. on FS1 and Telemundo
Portugal vs. Ghana, 11 a.m. on Fox and Telemundo
Brazil vs. Serbia, 2 p.m. on Fox and Telemundo

Friday
Wales vs. Iran, 5 a.m. on FS1 and Telemundo
Qatar vs. Senegal, 8 a.m. on FS1 and Telemundo
Netherlands vs. Ecuador, 11 a.m. on Fox and Telemundo
England vs. United States, 2 p.m. on Fox and Telemundo

Saturday, Nov. 26
Tunisia vs. Australia, 5 a.m. on FS1 and Telemundo
Poland vs. Saudi Arabia, 8 a.m. on FS1 and Telemundo
France vs. Denmark, 11 a.m. on FS1 and Telemundo
Argentina vs. Mexico, 2 p.m. on FS1 and Telemundo

Sunday, Nov. 27
Japan vs. Costa Rica, 5 a.m. on FS1 and Telemundo
Belgium vs. Morocco, 8 a.m. on FS1 and Telemundo
Croatia vs. Canada, 11 a.m. on FS1 and Telemundo
Spain vs. Germany, 2 p.m. on FS1 and Telemundo

Monday, Nov. 28
Cameroon vs. Serbia, 5 a.m. on FS1 and Telemundo
South Korea vs. Ghana, 8 a.m on FS1 and Telemundo
Brazil vs. Switzerland, 11 a.m. on Fox and Telemundo
Portugal vs. Uruguay, 2 p.m. on Fox and Telemundo

Tuesday, Nov. 29
Netherlands vs. Qatar, 10 a.m. on FS1 and Telemundo
Ecuador vs. Senegal, 10 a.m. on Fox and Universo
Wales vs. England, 2 p.m. on FS1 and Universo
Iran vs. United States, 2 p.m. on Fox and Telemundo

Wednesday, Nov. 30
Tunisia vs. France, 10 a.m. on Fox and Universo
Australia vs. Denmark, 10 a.m. on FS1 and Telemundo
Poland vs. Argentina, 2 p.m. on Fox and Universo
Saudi Arabia vs. Mexico, 2 p.m. on FS1 and Telemundo

Thursday, Dec. 1
Croatia vs. Belgium, 10 a.m. on Fox and Universo
Canada vs. Morocco, 10 a.m. on FS1 and Telemundo
Japan vs. Spain, 2 p.m. on Fox and Telemundo
Costa Rica vs. Germany, 2 p.m. on FS1 and Universo

Friday, Dec. 2
South Korea vs. Portugal, 10 a.m. on Fox and Telemundo
Ghana vs. Uruguay, 10 a.m. on FS1 and Universo
Cameroon vs. Brazil, 2 p.m. on Fox and Telemundo
Serbia vs. Switzerland, 2 p.m. on FS1 and Universo

Round of 16

Saturday, Dec. 3
Winners of Group A vs. Runners-up of Group B, 10 a.m. on Fox and Telemundo
Winners of Group C vs. Runners-up of Group, 2 p.m. on Fox and Telemundo

Sunday, Dec. 4
Winners of Group D vs. Runners-up of Group C, 10 a.m. on FS1 and Telemundo
Winners of Group B vs. Runners-up of Group A, 2 p.m. on FS1 and Telemundo

Monday, Dec. 5
Winners of Group E vs. Runners-up of Group F, 10 a.m. on Fox and Telemundo
Winners of Group G vs. Runners-up of Group H, 2 p.m. on Fox and Telemundo

Tuesday, Dec. 6
Winners of Group F vs. Runners-up of Group E, 10 a.m. on Fox and Telemundo
Winners of Group H vs. Runners-up of Group G, 2 p.m. on Fox and Telemundo

Quarterfinals

Friday, Dec. 9
Winners of games played Monday, Dec. 5, 10 a.m. on Fox and Telemundo
Winners of games played Saturday, Dec. 3, 2 p.m. on Fox and Telemundo

Saturday, Dec. 10
Winners of games played Tuesday, Dec. 6, 10 a.m. on Fox and Telemundo
Winners of games played Sunday, Dec. 4, 2 p.m. on Fox and Telemundo

Semifinals

Tuesday, Dec. 13
Winners of games played Friday, Dec. 9, 2 p.m. on Fox and Telemundo

Wednesday, Dec. 14
Winners of games played Saturday, Dec. 10, 2 p.m. on Fox and Telemundo

Third Place

Saturday, Dec. 17
Losers of games played Dec. 13 and Dec. 14, 10 a.m. on Fox and Telemundo

Final

Sunday, Dec. 18
Winners of games played Dec. 13 and Dec. 14, 10 a.m. on Fox and Telemundo

AL KHOR, Qatar (AP) — Soccer powerhouses Belgium and Germany made early exits at the World Cup on Thursday, which many considered a wild day in group play.

Back-to-back early exits at the World Cup have Germany coach Hansi Flick wanting to go back to basics.

The four-time champions were again eliminated from the group stage four years after their embarrassing display as defending champions in Russia.

Something has to change, Flick said after a 4-2 victory over Costa Rica on Thursday that still wasn’t enough to secure a spot in the round of 16.

“I believe for the future of German football we need to do things differently in training,” said Flick, who took over as coach after last year’s European Championship. “For years we are talking about new goalkeepers and wingbacks, but Germany was always able to defend well. We need the basics.

“For the future, for the next 10 years, it is very important to focus on the new generation of players.”

It was only eight years ago that Germany won its fourth World Cup title, beating an Argentina team led by Lionel Messi in his prime in the final at the Maracana Stadium. With that victory, Germany became the only European team to win a World Cup in either North or South America.

In Qatar, it was an opening loss to Japan that set the stage for the disappointing finish this time. Germany was beaten 2-1 in that match last week, and followed it with a 1-1 draw against Spain.

That gave the Germans a chance in its last match at Al Bayt Stadium, and for a few minutes during the simultaneous final group matches on Thursday, it was enough. At halftime, for example, Germany was beating Costa Rica and Japan was losing to Spain — results that would have put the Germans into the round of 16.

It was Japan’s 2-1 victory over the Spaniards that essentially cost the Germans a chance to play at least one more match in Qatar.

Flick cited Spain as an example for his country to follow.

“Spain is very good in defense,” he said, even though the 2010 World Cup champions ultimately lost to Japan at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha. “It focuses on training young players. They know the tactics well.”

It all started so well for Germany on Thursday with Serge Gnabry scoring a 10th-minute header and Spain taking an early lead against Japan.

Both matches were turned upside down in the second half.

Yeltsin Tejeda evened the score in the 58th minute and Juan Vargas scrambled another in the 70th, putting Costa Rica ahead 2-1 and all of a sudden on target to advance.

“There were a lot of individual mistakes and these are things that make me very angry,” Flick said.

But Germany substitute Kai Havertz made it 2-2 in the 73rd minute and then restored Germany’s lead in the 85th. Another substitute, Niclas Füllkrug, added the fourth.

Costa Rica had lost its opening game against Spain 7-0. The team then put on a much better display and beat Japan 1-0.

“We are not what we saw in our first game,” Costa Rica coach Luis Fernando Suarez said. “We had to go back to what made us qualify for the World Cup.”

Spain will take on Morocco, who took the top spot in Group F after defeating Canada 2-1, ESPN reported.

Belgium, ranked No. 2 in the world and finished third at the World Cup four years ago, was also eliminated from the world's biggest sporting event after a goalless tie against Croatia, who will play Japan in the round of 16, The Washington Post reported.

HISTORY MADE

The match was also notable because French referee Stéphanie Frappart became the first woman to officiate a men’s World Cup match.

RECORD SET

Manuel Neuer played in his 19th World Cup match to set a record for a goalkeeper — overtaking German great Sepp Maier and Brazil keeper Cláudio Taffarel.

GINTER’S WAIT

Matthias Ginter was participating in his third World Cup, but going into the match against Costa Rica he had yet to play a single minute at any of those tournaments. That all changed when he came on as a substitute in the 89th minute.

The body and possessions of soccer journalist Grant Wahl were repatriated to the United States on Monday after his death last week while covering the World Cup in Qatar, a senior State Department official said.

The official said Wahl's remains and his belongings arrived at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport around 8:30 a.m. ET. They were accompanied by a consular official from the U.S. Embassy in Doha who had had custody of Wahl's remains since shortly after he collapsed during Friday's match between Argentina and the Netherlands and later died.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of privacy concerns, had no additional details but said the embassy in Qatar had been working with Wahl's family to ensure the repatriation went smoothly.

Wahl, an American journalist who helped grow the popularity of soccer in the United States and reported on some of the biggest stories in the sport, was 49.

Tributes to Wahl have poured in since his death and on Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken added his voice to the chorus of appreciation.

"I so appreciated Grant Wahl, whose writing captured not only the essence of the beautiful game but also the world around it," Blinken wrote on Twitter about an hour after the repatriation was complete.

"I send my deepest condolences to his family, and thank our embassy team and Qatari partners who worked together so effectively to fulfill their wishes," Blinken wrote.

Wahl, who had complained of respiratory problems earlier in the week and had been treated for a possible case of bronchitis, fell back in his seat in a section of Lusail Stadium reserved for journalists during extra time of the game, and reporters adjacent to him called for assistance.

Emergency services workers responded very quickly, treated him for 20 or 30 minutes on site and then took him out on a stretcher. The World Cup organizing committee said he was taken to Doha's Hamad General Hospital, but it did not state a cause of death.

Wahl wrote for Sports Illustrated for more than two decades and then started his own website. He was a major voice informing an American public of soccer during a time of increased interest after the United States hosted the 1994 World Cup.

He also brought a critical eye to the international organizing bodies of the sport.

The United States has been charging visitors for electronic travel authorization since 2009, and now the United Kingdom and the European Union are rolling out entry fees, too.Visa waiver schemes have been around for a while. The United States has the $21 ESTA, valid for two years, and Europe will be introducing the 7 euro ETIAS (about $7.50 on exchange rates this week) in 2024. That one will last you three years.The United Kingdom, you may recall, rather famously fled the EU coop a couple of years back. Now it’s revealed the price tag for its own scheme, the ETA (Electronic Travel Authorisation): £10 (about $12.50) for two years.Admittedly, that’s only about the price of a large fish and chips, but it does mean access to the nations that gave us the Tower of London and Edinburgh Castle will be more expensive than a pass to the home countries of the Eiffel Tower, the Coliseum, the Sagrada Familia and the Acropolis combined.The plan is for the scheme to be rolled out for people who don’t require a visa to enter the United Kingdom – including U.S. and EU nationals – by the end of 2024, with the first nation to join the scheme being Qatar later this year.