Global drinks heavyweight Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) has expanded its commercial tie-up with global soccer’s governing body FIFA to cover the revamped 2025 Club World Cup (CWC) competition.
AB InBev – most commonly known as a beer brewing giant – becomes the second commercial partner to sign up for the next edition of the expanded club tournament, which will contain 32 teams (up from seven previously) and will be held across the US in mid-2025.
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The brewing firm now becomes the official beer partner of the CWC, through its various brands, having been a sponsor of the national teams’ FIFA World Cup since 1986. Indeed, its World Cup sponsorship deal was last extended in June 2023 (despite significant issues at the Qatar 2022 tournament), in a deal valued by GlobalData Sport as being worth $80 million through 2026.
This deal will involve various assets designed to enhance the fan experience during the tournament, such as AB InBev presenting the 'Player of the Match' award after each game.
In terms of specific AB InBev brands involved, Michelob Ultra and Budweiser will lead the partnership, alongside “local brands in select markets.”
Up until a Hisense tie-up (also an expansion of an existing arrangement) was unveiled late last month, FIFA had no sponsors (or indeed broadcast partners) on board for the 32-team CWC, which is less than seven months away but which has proved extremely controversial with many of soccer’s major stakeholders.
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By GlobalDataClubs and players in particular are unhappy about the extra games and workload, with a formal complaint and legal action by the players union FIFPRO having been filed around this issue earlier in the year.
In terms of other sponsorship agreements disclosed by FIFA recently, meanwhile, in mid-October multinational tech heavyweight Lenovo came in as a partner for the 2026 and 2030 men’s World Cups.
The governing body’s top sponsor lineup also includes brands such as Aramco, Visa, and Qatar Airways.
The 2025 FIFA CWC will entail a new format in which continental governing bodies will all – apart from the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) – receive multiple team slots.
Europe’s UEFA, with 12, will have the most teams involved. The lineup will include Chelsea, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, PSG, Inter Milan, Porto, Benfica, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus, Atletico Madrid, and Red Bull Salzburg.
Elsewhere, in terms of its sporting partnerships, AB InBev has a deal in place with the International Olympic Committee, unveiled earlier this year and covering each edition of the Olympic Games through 2028.
