American Airlines Introduces Limited-Edition U.S. Soccer Amenity Kits In Celebration Of The 2026 Summer Of Football

Ahead of North America hosting the FIFA World Cup 2026™, American Airlines, as the Official North American Airline Supplier of FIFA World Cup 26™ in partnership with Qatar Airways and the Official Airline of U.S. Soccer, is helping fans everywhere celebrate with the introduction of new U.S. Soccer-themed amenity kits. These new kits will debut at the beginning of June and fly through July.

“This summer is shaping up to be incredibly exciting for American as the Official Airline of U.S. Soccer,” said American’s Chief Marketing Officer Caroline Clayton. “Not only will we help fly fans to host cities on more flights than any other domestic carrier, but these amenity kits will help build excitement and passion for the tournament — and are match day ready! We’re excited to see them become part of this iconic tournament.”

From the plane to the game

Designed for the journey and the celebration, these amenity kits can move with fans from the cabin to the stadium all summer long.

Flagship® First and Flagship Suite® Preferred seats: A clear bag with blue leather piping and a removeable crossbody strap.

Flagship® Business and Flagship Suite® seats: A clear bag with leather piping detail that can be worn two ways — as a belt bag or crossbody.

Premium Economy: A clear pouch with a removeable wrist strap.

Tim Howard wearing Flagship® First and Flagship Suite® Preferred seat amenity kit.

American gives fans more ways to experience the beautiful game

Throughout the summer, American customers will have new ways to join the excitement, including special gate celebrations ahead of some of the tournament’s most anticipated matches.

American also added 27,000 seats across 12 new and existing routes to support fan travel and is providing 1.45 million premium seats during the tournament. AAdvantage® members have also enjoyed exclusive opportunities to use miles — with millions of miles redeemed for thousands of match tickets.

Arrive refreshed with curated skincare essentials

American’s new amenity kits feature a curated selection of travel-ready skincare designed to refresh customers throughout their travel journey. Each kit features a curated selection of hand and body lotion, lip balm and brand-new items fit for summer: after-sun cooling gel and soccer-style socks, which will be available in both Flagship® First and Flagship Suite® Preferred seats and Flagship® Business and Flagship Suite® seats.

About American Airlines Group

American Airlines is a premium global airline connecting more of the U.S. to the world. With roots tracing back to an air mail carrier in the Midwestern United States in 1926, American now operates more than 6,000 daily flights to more than 350 destinations in more than 60 countries and serves more than 200 million customers annually. Powered by a proud and talented team of 130,000 aviation professionals, American’s team lives out the airline’s purpose of caring for people on life’s journey every day.

The world’s largest airline proudly celebrates its centennial year in 2026, reaching a milestone that reflects a century of innovation and the Forever Forward℠ spirit that changed the industry and the world. American introduced the first scheduled air cargo service, the first airport lounge and the first airline loyalty program and continues to reinvent the customer experience today. The airline is also a founding member of the oneworld alliance, whose members serve more than 900 destinations around the globe.

In Last Minute Change, No Alcohol To Be Sold At Qatar World Cup Stadiums

Just two days before the World Cup kicks off in Qatar, soccer’s world governing body FIFA confirmed that no alcohol will be sold at the eight stadiums which will host the tournament’s 64 matches.

“Following discussions between host country authorities and FIFA, a decision has been made to focus the sale of alcoholic beverages on the FIFA Fan Festival, other fan destinations and licensed venues, removing sales points of beer from Qatar’s FIFA World Cup 2022 stadium perimeter,” said the FIFA statement.

In September, Qatar had said it would permit ticketed fans to buy alcoholic beer at World Cup soccer matches starting three hours before kickoff and for one hour after the final whistle, but not during the match.

“There is no impact to the sale of Bud Zero which will remain available at all Qatar’s World Cup stadiums,” added the FIFA statement.

“Host country authorities and FIFA will continue to ensure that the stadiums and surrounding areas provide an enjoyable, respectful and pleasant experience for all fans.”Budweiser was to sell beer within the ticketed perimeter surrounding each of the eight stadiums before and after each game.

Budweiser, which is one of FIFA’s partners, tweeted, “Well, this is awkward,” though the social media post was quickly deleted. The beer brand is owned by the world’s largest brewer Anheuser-Busch InBev.

“The tournament organisers appreciate AB InBev’s understanding and continuous support to our joint commitment to cater for everyone during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022,” continued the FIFA statement.

Qatar World Cup Ticket Sales To Open, Lowest $70 Globally

Fans can start registering to buy Qatar World Cup tickets on Wednesday with prices for visitors starting at around $70, one-third cheaper than the tournament in Russia.

The category-three tickets on international sale will be 250 Qatari riyals ($69), two people with knowledge of the prices said Tuesday, compared to $105 for the equivalent in 2018. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the ticketing process.

The cheapest tickets — in category four only for Qatari residents — will cost 40 Qatari riyals ($11), the people said. The intended ticket prices will be the cheapest at a World Cup since $3 seats in Mexico — based on 1986 exchange rates — and half the price of those made available to locals at the equivalent of $22 in Russia in 2018.

The low entry point for tickets in Qatar could help to provide access to the low-paid migrant worker population for the Nov. 21-Dec. 18 tournament. The cheapest tickets at the 2019 world track and field championships were 60 Qatari riyals ($17) and entry was eventually made free for workers to fill empty seats.

FIFA tickets will be distributed through a regulated process rather than an open sale with the full range of prices still to be announced. Supporters requesting to attend matches at the Middle East’s first World Cup will only discover if they are successful based on a random draw at the conclusion of the first application phase which runs through Feb. 8.

The ticket process is beginning with only 13 of the 32 slots at the tournament filled and qualifying not concluding until the intercontinental playoffs in June.

FIFA aims to generate $500 million from hospitality rights and ticket sales from the World Cup, according to the governing body’s most recent financial report.

Unlike previous World Cups, little travel will be required once in Qatar with the eight newly built stadiums within a 30-mile radius of Doha.

Travel during the tournament figures to be the shortest since the 1954 tournament in Switzerland, but hotel availability could be tight.

Local organizers have reserved most hotels in Qatar so there was no availability showing on Tuesday to book for the duration of the tournament when searching online.

Rooms in hotels, apartments and cruise liners will be made available via a website later this year. Only around 90,000 rooms will be made available to the public with 40,000 set aside for teams, officials, sponsors and media.

While camping in the desert had previously been touted as a means of finding space for fans, that is now being downplayed as a significant option. There will be 4,000 cabins on cruise ships that will dock in Doha for the tournament.

Qatar Airways, a FIFA sponsor, is already selling packages including flights, hotels and tickets guaranteed to follow your country.

World Cup organizers have also said more than 1.2 million visitors will come. The group stage features 32 teams with games across 12 days when Qatar anticipates 559,000 flying in with a peak of 276,000 ticket holders around Nov. 27 and 28 requiring an estimated 128,000 rooms.

Some fans could still be deterred from flying to the World Cup after a decade of criticism of Qatar’s treatment of the migrant workers, who are largely from southwest Asia and have been relied on to build up the infrastructure since winning the FIFA hosting rights in 2010.

20 Things You Need To Know About Brazil

With FIFA 2014 passed, and the Rio Summer Olympics taking place in 2016, Brazil has been all the buzz around the internet and in conversation. But how much do you really know about the country?

Did you know that in the city of Laguna, fishermen use dolphins as their assistants to help catch fish? After they cast their nets into the murky water, they wait for dolphins to show them where the fish are. If no dolphins show up that morning, the locals will pack up and leave. Here are 20 more things you may not know about Brazil:

(Photo Courtesy of FIFA World Cup Brazil)

The national football (soccer) team of Brazil has won the FIFA World Cup a record five times.

Every Brazilian city has at least one soccer stadium.

The best coffee in the world is said to come from Brazil.

Caipirinhas are the national drink of Brazilians.

(Photo Courtesy of Shutterstock)

Brazil is the only country in South America that speaks Portuguese (not Spanish or Brazilian).

Brazil contains almost 60 percent of the Amazon rain forest.

There are more species of monkeys in Brazil than anywhere else in the world.

The Christ Redeemer Statue in Rio de Janeiro is one of the 7 Wonders of the World.

(Photo Courtesy of Stanislaw Tokarski/Shutterstock)

Brazil covers three time zones.

Brazil shares a border with all South American countries except for Chile and Ecuador.

Brazil has 13 cities with over one million residents.

Brazil is 100 percent energy independent.

(Photo Courtesy of Celso Pupo/Shutterstock)

Brazil has the most famous and celebrated carnival festival in the world.

Brazil has the world's largest beach at 24,606 feet long.

It is the longest country in the world from north to south via land, spanning approximately 2,800 miles.

By 2032, Brazil's economy will overtake Germany's in size.

(Photo Courtesy of Adriana Lima)

Brazilian models are generally considered to be some of the most gorgeous women in the world.

The Brazilian bikini wax was invented in New York in 1987 by seven Brazilian-born sisters.

Brazil has the ninth highest number of billionaires in the world.

The prisoners of Brazil's Arisvaldo de Campos Pires maximum security penitentiary wait out their sentences by knitting, thanks to a partnership with Brazilian fashion designer Raquel Guimaraes.

Contributed by Nicolle Monico
[Top Photo Courtesy of Shutterstock]