Diageo has penned a deal with FIFA for next year’s soccer World Cup, due to take place across 16 different host cities in North and Central America.
The UK-headquartered group confirmed that five of its brands – Casamigos, Don Julio, Buchanan’s, Johnnie Walker and Smirnoff – will be associated with the tournament. Securing the title of ‘official spirits supporter in the Americas’, Diageo will be “activating” in each of the 16 host cities in Canada, Mexico and the US and “promoting the collaboration” across the region.
Financial and duration details about the arrangement were not disclosed.
The Johnnie Walker brand owner joins AB InBev as a partner of the quadrennial tournament, despite the previous tournament’s implementation of an in-stadium beer ban last year in Qatar.
“We are proud to deepen our partnership with sports by bringing our unmatched portfolio to toast the FIFA World Cup 26,” said CMO Cristina Diezhandino. “Football is the world’s biggest sport and with this tournament set to be the biggest in its history, we see this as a unique opportunity to celebrate with fans in new and meaningful ways.”
In Diageo’s first-half results for its financial year to the end of June, the ‘Latin America & Caribbean’ reporting region bounced back after a 25% plunge in sales a year earlier, rising by 5%. The company noted that its inventory levels in the region, which had risen to the point that Diageo issued a profit warning in late 2023, “remain at an appropriate level for the current consumer environment”.
Elsewhere, ‘North America’ was in parity sales-wise (+0.2% on 3.4% volumes decline). The US booked a jump for the company’s tequila brands of 23% in value sales from the six-month period.
