New tech detects sweat from fans drinking at the World Cup

Statistics show around 7,300 criminals either released from prison or serving a community sentence will be forced to wear alcohol tags at some point during the 2026 World Cup.

Since 2020, the government has been rolling out the innovative tags, which work around the clock and quickly detect if an offender has been drinking by analyzing their sweat.

"Major sporting events should be a time for the country to come together and enjoy the game, not for alcohol-fueled violence and disorder to ruin the occasion," Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reoffending Minister Lord Timpson said.

If an offender dares to have a drink, an alert is sent to their probation officer who can take action to punish them, such as an order to return to court or even prison.

The tags are accurate enough to distinguish between those simply soaking up the atmosphere at pubs and fan zones where alcohol is present, and those risking a red card by actively drinking.

The tech has been designed to address the estimated $27.3 billion cost of booze-fueled crime, which rises during major football tournaments like the World Cup.

Offenders who are banned from consuming alcohol by the courts have remained sober for 97% of the days they have been tagged since the technology was first rolled out.

5,000 offenders were already fitted with a tag when the tournament started and a further 2,300 are expected to receive new orders.

The move comes as police forces and local authorities prepare for increased demand during the tournament, with alcohol often linked to incidents of violence, antisocial behavior and disorder around major football fixtures.

As part of the Government’s action to make streets safer, tens of thousands more criminals will be tagged over the next three years as part of a major technology expansion.

"Having this tech fixed around the ankle is the wake-up call to offenders and leaves them with the sobering thought that one slip-up could send them to jail," Lord Timpson says.