FIFA is giving a different POTM to Muslim players at World Cup 2026. Here's what happening

FIFA has made a special change to the Player of the Match (POTM) award ceremony for Muslim players at the FIFA World Cup 2026. Fans vote online to choose the Player of the Match and the award is sponsored by beer brand Michelob ULTRA. Usually, the winning player receives the trophy and poses for photos in front of a backdrop showing the sponsor’s logo and later these photos are then shared on FIFA World Cup social media channels. For Muslim players, however, FIFA has removed the Michelob ULTRA branding from the backdrop. This is because Islam prohibits the consumption of alcohol and many Muslim-majority countries also have restrictions on alcohol.

The change has been made for Canada’s Ismael Kone, Qatar’s Mahmoud Abunada, Ivory Coast’s Yan Diomande, Iran’s Ramin Rezaeian, Egypt’s Emam Ashour, Jordan’s Ali Olwan, Morocco’s Ismael Saibari and Switzerland’s Johan Manzambi.

Instead of the beer sponsor’s logo, the backdrop displays the words “Superior Player of the Match” along with the FIFA World Cup emblem. The trophy remains almost the same, but the Michelob ULTRA branding is removed.

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This is not the first time football has adapted to respect Muslim players’ beliefs. At the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Egypt goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy declined the Player of the Match award because it was sponsored by Budweiser, another beer brand.

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Similar changes have also been made in domestic football. In the Premier League, the Player of the Match prize once included a bottle of alcohol, but some Muslim players, including Yaya Toure, refused to accept it. The league later replaced it with a more neutral prize and non-alcoholic champagne is now often used during trophy celebrations.