\n A massive global sporting event should be a celebration for the alcohol industry, as people cram into bars or throw watch parties at home. Anheuser-Busch InBev, Heineken, Molson Coors as well as liquor giant Diageo are all pouring big money into the soccer spectacle.\n <\/p>\n
\n But the tournament is mostly taking place in the United States, where drinking is plummeting<\/a>.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cThe alcohol business in the United States is struggling more than in virtually any other part of the world,\u201d said Bourcard Nesin, a beverage analyst for Rabobank. \u201cWe\u2019re seeing dramatic declines in consumption that aren\u2019t taking place elsewhere.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n But with 104 matches<\/a> stretching over nearly six weeks and three countries with major names like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, the World Cup should provide at least temporary relief for the industry.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cThe World Cup will increase consumption of beer, wine and spirits without question,\u201d Nesin told CNN. \u201cIt\u2019s a big boost for them at a time when they need it in a market where they need it most.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cThe question is how much of a boost is enough?\u201d he added.\n <\/p>\n \n For Diageo (DEO<\/a>), the World Cup couldn\u2019t come at a better time.\n <\/p>\n \n Revenue for North America, its biggest market, dropped 9% in its most recent quarter. More alarmingly, US spirit sales fell 15%, hampered by lower demand for its tequilas, like Casamigos.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cNorth America remains our biggest challenge,\u201d CEO Dave Lewis said last month in prepared earnings remarks.\n <\/p>\n \n A pioneering deal with FIFA could help: Diageo was named the World Cup\u2019s first-ever spirits sponsor, meaning only its brands will be served at stadiums and sanctioned fan festivals. It\u2019s also the first time liquor will be sold at the tournament. (Financial terms weren\u2019t disclosed.)\n <\/p>\n \n Tequila and whiskey are \u201chuge with soccer consumers,\u201d according to Rick Pineda, Diageo\u2019s vice president of global sports partnerships. The company will focus its marketing in the US on Buchanan\u2019s Scotch Whisky, Don Julio 1942 and Casamigos tequila.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cThis is a huge opportunity for us to lead in the spirits category and to bring all of our customers, distributors, retail partners that have never had the ability to leverage a spirits partnership with the World Cup,\u201d he told CNN.\n <\/p>\n \n Plus, sporting events garner a \u201ccommunal feeling\u201d that \u201cabsolutely help recruit (new customers) in a big way,\u201d he said.\n <\/p>\n \n Lewis, however, sounded a bit more cauitious on the earnings call.\n <\/p>\n \n He told analysts a North America-based World Cup is \u201cgoing to be a bit more of a voyage of discovery\u201d in seeing how consumers respond to the massive deal.\n <\/p>\n \n Big Beer is also pumping millions into sponsorships and promotions in hopes of improving sales.\n <\/p>\n \n The industry has been under pressure<\/a> for years with volumes further declining in 2025 by 6%, according to trade group IWSR. Consumers are cutting back discretionary spending, which is affecting alcohol sales, as well as shifting to spirits or premade options<\/a>.\n <\/p>\n \n But people more commonly associate sports with beer, Nesin said, so the World Cup will be a bigger boost to their business than liquor.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cThis is a Super Bowl that lasts a month,\u201d he said.\n <\/p>\n \n Anheuser-Busch<\/a>, the World Cup\u2019s official beer sponsor, has held that deal for more than 40 years. But this year, instead of highlighting its Budweiser brand, Michelob Ultra will adorn an MVP trophy given to a player<\/a> after every match. The low carb beer is a bright spot among its beers, recently becoming the top-selling<\/a> brand.\n <\/p>\n \n The company is also spending on promotional activity at bars \u201cbecause the bars will be the places where people will get together to watch the games,\u201d CEO Michel Doukeris said on last month\u2019s earnings call.\n <\/p>\n \n Heineken isn\u2019t a World Cup sponsor, but it is also increasing its marketing spend by nearly 200%<\/a> at bars in hopes of reviving sales<\/a>. They will be given promotional materials, like pennants and signs, and the brand will sell limited-edition soccer-themed packaging at retail outlets.\n <\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/gettyimages-2279716256.jpg\")
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