After stagnation, foam: beer returns to Russian stadiums

The State Duma announced that following a recent government meeting, a fundamental decision was made to allow the sale of beer in sports arenas. The relevant law should be submitted to the Parliament for consideration in the near future. Izvestia investigated why this issue has been extremely important for the sports industry for many years and what it will do to our football.

"Football needs beer"

The most important news for fans of foam in a conversation with Izvestia was reported by State Duma Deputy Dmitry Svishchev. According to him, the fundamental decision has already been made.

— Beer will be in stadiums, — said Svishchev, who headed the State Duma Committee on sports for several years. — A government meeting was held the other day. The question is whether it will be our bill that has passed the first reading. Either it will be a new bill, which implies a new procedure. When the RPL and RFU turned on, everything went right away. Football needs beer. The President of the RFU, Alexander Dyukov, and the president of the RPL, Alexander Alaev, were actively involved in this process, and immediately everything got off the ground.

Alaev himself reacted to the news with restrained optimism.

"I am glad that the issue of returning beer to stadiums has received a positive assessment at the highest level,— the RPL president told Izvestia. — At the same time, I consider it important to emphasize that we need to wait for the official adoption of the relevant draft law — this is a key stage that will ensure the legitimacy and clarity of all further actions.

As Alaev emphasized, the initiative is consistently and unanimously supported by all 16 RPL clubs.

"The request for the return of beer is supported by the entire football community and reflects the real expectations of the fans," the functionary continued. — We are convinced that with proper organization of the process, beer sales will not only not disrupt the festive atmosphere and safety at stadiums, but also make it more comfortable for an adult audience.

Hop business: brewers have teamed up to take the industry to a new level

How did the Baltika Fest and the first meeting of the Council for the Development of the beer and non-alcoholic industry go?

20 years without foam

The sale of alcohol at sports facilities has been prohibited since 2005. A short break was made during major international competitions — the 2017 Confederations Cup, the 2018 World Cup and Euro 2020 (hosted by St. Petersburg).

During the 20 years of prohibition, the issue of the return of foam has been discussed repeatedly, and always with one result. However, in 2019, discussions reached a new level when the relevant bill was adopted in the State Duma in the first reading. In the process, the initiative found both numerous supporters and opponents, and no final decision was made.

Later, the issue was repeatedly revisited.: For several years, the authorities mostly emphasized the appropriateness of the return, but did not give the green light. However, in 2025, the situation has changed — the "for" was expressed from the highest tribunes.

So, in April, the idea of selling beer was supported by the Minister of Sports of the Russian Federation Mikhail Degtyarev. According to him, the foam will generate good incomes that can be used for the development of sports.

"My position is unequivocal: it is possible and necessary to return beer to stadiums, because it is part of the spectacle," Degtyarev said on the air of the Silver Rain radio station. — It has nothing to do with a healthy lifestyle, sports, it's a culture of being sick. And the people who come to the stadiums are not athletes, they are fans, they are subjects of sports. In 2018, at the World Cup, we allowed beer, and nothing happened: the atmosphere was good, there were no incidents. But now you need to understand: if a person wants to drink, he makes a cash register for a nearby store and stall. This ticket office can be transferred to sports facilities. This is additional money for the development of sports and the maintenance of sports facilities. I believe in our people, I love them, I trust them and I believe that it would be possible to return. The dialogue is sluggish, but my position is unequivocal: the cash register from the consumption of low-alcohol beverages should be returned from the store to the sports facilities.

Already in mid—November, Svishchev started talking about money - according to him, incomes can amount to up to 5 billion rubles a year. With these funds, stadiums will be able to improve their material base, and the money can also be used to finance youth sports. This can be a good way to support the industry.

Another important argument for the return of the foam drink is the introduction of fan passports at top—division football matches.

— We are not discussing whether it is possible to buy tea, mineral water or a hot dog at the match, freely doing so. And what's worse about foam? Yes, you could find some motivation in the 1990s or early 2000s, when seats were flying and burning in the stands, and fans were being sprayed with water cannons," said Konstantin Alekseev, head of the football department at Sport Express. — Then the logic was to reduce the degree of aggression in stadiums by canceling beer sales. But a lot has changed since then. And the atmosphere at football is one of them. No fights, no scandals. Although it is clear that even now not all viewers would have passed a breathalyzer test — no one has canceled the "warm-up" and "zero" time yet. But never mind, never mind what happened before this season. A couple of lighted flares could scare someone. But what arguments can be made against beer at football now that anyone who suddenly blows their mind from a couple of mugs will immediately lose their fan passport? And the problem with him will be solved once and for all.

Despite the fact that promises of beer at stadiums have been repeatedly made over the years, the current situation seems to be different.: This is the first time we've heard a statement from an official. Therefore, it is possible that Russian fans of foam will be able to celebrate the championship of their favorite team in the 2025/26 season right at the stadium, if the law is passed promptly.