By Kwame Bediako
Parents who buy alcohol for their legal‑age children at the 2026 World Cup in the United States can still face serious consequences under local drinking laws. In states hosting Ghana and England, the rules are strict and penalties can include jail time and fines, especially when the recipient is underage.
Laws in the United States
In Massachusetts, where both England and Ghana play at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, the maximum penalty for buying alcohol for someone under age is up to one year in jail and a $2,000 fine. In Arlington, Texas, where England face Croatia, the fine for supplying an underage drinker can reach $4,000, and anyone convicted can also risk being barred from re‑entering the US in the future. These rules apply regardless of who is paying for the drink if the recipient is under the state‑set drinking age (21 in these states).
Drinking ages in Mexico and Canada
In Mexico, the national legal drinking age is 18, and the same rule applies in all states, including cities hosting World Cup matches. Mexican law does not allow parents to legally supply alcohol to anyone under 18, even in restaurants or with family present. Public‑drinking and drunk‑behaviour laws are also strict, with possible fines or short jail terms for violations.
In Canada, the drinking age is either 18 or 19, depending on the province. Alberta, Manitoba, and Quebec set it at 18, while the rest of the provinces and territories set it at 19 (including major World Cup host cities such as Toronto and Vancouver).
In these jurisdictions, supplying alcohol to minors can lead to fines for vendors and, in some cases, license suspensions or other sanctions for hosts. For someone aged 18–21 who is caught drinking where the age is 19, the offence is typically treated as a misdemeanour or provincial offence, with penalties including fines up to around $500 or community‑service orders, rather than heavy prison sentences.
For fans travelling with younger adults, it is crucial to check the specific local drinking age and laws in each World Cup venue country and avoid treating lower‑age destinations as a “looser” zone, since penalties can still be significant and affect re‑entry to the US or other countries.
