FIFA reverses course again, will permit fans to take 1 water bottle each to World Cup games in the U.S., Canada

Following an outcry over a plan to forbid spectators from carrying water bottles to World Cup games, FIFA has reversed course.

FIFA COO Heimo Schirg announced Friday that fans will be permitted to take a single water bottle into World Cup games hosted in the United States and Canada. It's not clear how or if the policy will impact games played in Mexico . A bottle must be factory-sealed, soft and no larger than 20 ounces.

Schirg announced the new policy via a video shared by FIFA clarifying what kind of bottles are and are not permitted:

The announcement reverses a controversial decision that FIFA announced Wednesday forbidding fans from taking their own water bottles into World Cup stadiums.

That policy cited "safety considerations" and had reversed a prior policy that allowed ticket-holders to carry "empty, transparent, reusable plastic bottles" up to one liter in capacity. The revised policy announced Friday largely reinstates the original policy.

Temperatures for World Cup games that are scheduled to run from June 11-July 19 in the U.S., Mexico and Canada are expected to soar , and hydration will be imperative for the health and well-being of spectators.

The previous prohibition of water bottles prompted outcry, including from New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani , who described that policy as "concerning" in an interview with The Athletic published earlier Friday.

"It's concerning," Mamdani, said . "It's concerning because the heat we're talking about is not just heat that the players are playing under. It's also the heat that spectators are going to be subjected to for arguably a longer period of time, as they will be there before the game starts and after the game finishes.