November 26 – FIFA has signed its second sponsor for the 2025 Club World Cup in the US that is now just over six months away.
AB InBev, expanding on a long-term partnership with FIFA covering its World Cups, has signed on as the competition’s Official Beer partner. While AB InBev are spending additional money on top of their existing FIFA commitments, no value for the deal has been given.
At the end of October Chinese electronics giant Hisense became the first Club World Cup sponsor.
Adidas and Coca-cola also have long term partnerships with FIFA but are currently in litigation to safeguard those rights. FIFA’s main partners have deals covering all the governing body’s events, including the Club World Cup, and do not see why they should make an extra financial commitment to retain a sponsorship they felt they have already bought and paid for.
FIFA has still to announce any major broadcast partnership.
AB InBev’s sponsorship activation will include the Player of the Match Awards. Budweiser and Michelob ULTRA brands will be the lead brands in the sponsorship, alongside local brands in select markets.
“Our brands are at the heart of meaningful cultural moments and iconic sporting events,” said AB InBev CEO, Michel Doukeris. “This partnership with the FIFA Club World Cup continues our legacy of bringing beer and sports together for fans around the world, creating more moments of celebration and cheers. We look forward to activating this first-of-its-kind tournament next summer in partnership with FIFA.”
The 32-team club World Cup kicks off June 15 and will be played across 12 stadiums in 11 US cities, predominantly on the east coast of the US.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino once again was in the PR vanguard that is built around FIFA’s reinvention of football saying “we are embarking on a journey that will redefine club football”.
To date it is a journey few commercial partners seem to be happy to pay for. The tournament has been challenged for its sporting integrity – many of the world’s best teams will not be present – while players’ unions have said that their members could go on strike protesting that their workload has become too great and increased their risk of injuries. Fifpro and the World Leagues Association have called for the tournament to be cancelled.
FIFA has mandated that clubs must bring their best players and play them, despite the pre-tournament and tournament itself filling up close to six weeks of their traditional summer breaks of the teams are coming from Europe.
The solution might be for everyone to drown their sorrows and discuss their differences over a few AB InBev brews.
“AB InBev has been an iconic sponsor of our events for almost 40 years, and today we are excited to see them come on board as a partner of the new FIFA Club World Cup,” said Infantino.
For ‘exited’ you could probably substitute ‘relieved’.
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