Global alcoholic beverage conglomerate Diageo has become the latest high-profile sponsor of the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup soccer tournament, partnering with the showpiece event in North, Central, and South America.
This partnership will be activated through Diageo spirits brands Don Julio, Buchanan’s, Johnnie Walker, and Smirnoff, each of which will gain sponsorship inventory around the tournament, including in-person fan engagement events across each of the competition’s 16 host cities.
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Such activations will take the form of both in-person events, but also co-branded advertising and retail campaigns across the Americas.
As many as 15 teams from across the Americas can qualify for this expanded tournament, a prospect which could allow Diageo to maximize the value of its sponsorship, with the three host nations of USA, Mexico, and Canada having already confirmed their berths, as have reigning World Cup champions Argentina.
Speaking on the partnership Diageo chief marketing officer Cristina Diezhandino pointed to the fact that the 2026 World Cup will be the largest in FIFA history, with 48 teams competing, up from the 32 in 2022.
Diageo is currently a supporter of soccer in the US in particular, with its Aviation American Gin, Captain Morgans, Guinness, and Casamigos brands all boasting sponsorships with current Major League Soccer and National Women’s Soccer League sides.
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By GlobalDataAlthough FIFA already has an alcohol sponsor in the beer category, namely AB Inbev’s Budweiser brand, the AB Inbev conglomerate’s lack of exposure in the spirits market means the Diageo partnership does not contravene any existing exclusivity agreements.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is set to be an important one for both AB Inbev and Diageo, after the 2022 World Cup took place in Qatar, a dry country where alcohol is banned, this marks the tournament’s return to a major alcohol market.
In the Business of the FIFA World Cup 2022 report, GlobalData Sport analysts commented at the time: “For many fans around the world, watching soccer is an activity which goes together with alcoholic consumption, something which could be described as a tradition.
“From a sponsorship perspective, [the alcohol ban in Qatar] hit the marketing plans of tournament sponsor Budweiser the hardest, with it holding exclusive pouring rights of beer at the tournament, as it looks to respect the rules of Qatar whilst also ensuring a good return on investment from its sponsorship fees. The brand will be pushing its Budweiser Zero non-alcoholic product heavily during the FIFA World Cup as it still looks to target international fans in Qatar.”
With this dilemma not in place for the upcoming 2026 edition, it is likely that both brands, especially Budweiser, will seek to make up for lost time.
