Football fans, beware! Any extramarital sexual escapade during the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar could result in a seven-year jail sentence. (More Football News)

Sporting events are married with fanfare which often involves uninhibited exploits but this winter, football fans will need to learn and respect cultural differences as a World Cup is being held in the Middle East for the first time. And Qatar has strict Sharia law.

"Sex is very much off the menu, unless you are coming as a husband and wife team," reports the Daily Star reports quoting UK police. "There definitely will be no one-night stands at this tournament. There will be no partying at all really."

"Everyone needs to keep their heads about them, unless they want to risk being stuck in prison... There is essentially a sex ban in place at this year's World Cup for the first time ever. Fans need to be prepared."

Sex outside of marriage carries a prison-sentence of up to seven years in Qatar.

Travelling fans also need to be aware that being drunk in public is a crime and face death penalty if they are caught smuggling cocaine to Qatar. But it was earlier reported that Qatar would permit alcohol consumption during the event and fan zones would be established.

The conservative Gulf country also criminalises same-sex relations. The then FIFA president Sepp Blatter had said that, "I would say they should refrain from any sexual activities". But he later added that, FIFA "don't want any discrimination. What we want to do is open this game to everybody, and to open it to all cultures, and this is what we are doing in 2022".

In December 2021, chairman of the local organising committee Nasser Al-Khater said that "homosexuality is not allowed" in the emirate. But he promised that LGTBIQ+ fans will be allowed to attend matches.

"Qatar and the region are a lot more conservative," Al-Khater told CNN. "And this is what we ask fans to respect. And we're sure that fans will respect that."

"We respect different cultures and we expect other cultures to respect ours. Qatar is a tolerant country. It's a welcoming country. It's a hospitable country."

But in April 2022, reports emerged that rainbow flags could be taken from fans at the 2022 FIFA World Cup to protect them from being attacked for promoting gay rights.

"Watch the game. That’s good. But don’t really come in and insult the whole society because of this," a senior leader overseeing security for the tournament reportedly said.

The host country has also admitted that workers were exploited while contracted for the preparation tournaments, like the construction of stadiums.

The tournament, which has assumed the name of Winter World Cup, starts on November 21, and the final is scheduled for December 18.

This will be the last World Cup to involve 32 teams. The 2026 edition, to be co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, will have 48 teams.