Overview
- FIFA now replaces the usual Michelob ULTRA backdrop with the FIFA World Cup badge and the phrase “Superior Player of the Match” whenever a Muslim player is voted Player of the Match.
- Images are edited before FIFA distributes them so winning players are not pictured with visible alcohol logos.
- The tailored presentation has been used during the 2026 World Cup for players such as Ismael Koné, Mahmoud Abunada, Yan Diomande, Ramin Rezaeian, Emam Ashour, Ali Olwan, Ismael Saibari and Johan Manzambi.
- FIFA framed the move as respect for Islamic prohibitions on alcohol and traced it to past incidents like Mohamed El Shenawy’s 2018 refusal and league changes such as the Premier League removing alcohol from awards.
- The policy preserves Michelob ULTRA’s tournament sponsorship while offering a targeted operational compromise that alters on-camera branding only for specific winners and could influence how sports bodies balance commercial deals with players’ beliefs.