Diageo is counting down the days until the FIFA World Cup 2026™ begins and hopes are high that its investment as Official Spirits Supporter pays off.
Football is the world’s biggest sport according to Nielsen’s Global Sports Report 2025 and the FIFA World Cup 2026™ will be the biggest tournament in FIFA’s history: six weeks, 104 matches and three host countries from 11 June to 19 July 2026.
FIFA expects to rake in $2.8 billion from sponsorships in 2026, up from $1.8 billion in 2022. Brands are counting on more than six billion people engaging with the tournament and their products.
The tournament has already had an impact on Diageo’s sales before the first match has even been played. In Q3 FY26 Diageo’s reported net sales increased 2.3% to $4.5 billion, with the drinks giant noting that advance sales ahead of the upcoming tournament were one of the contributing factors to the positive results.
Chief financial officer Nik Jhangiani said the FIFA World Cup was a “critically important” moment for the company and “the first time a spirits producer is really supporting this”.
“We want to make sure that we’ve got the right plans in place across North America and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), but also the rest of the world,” he said.
“Brazil [World Cup] in 2014 was the last time where you had the matches being aired during this period of time and with the time zone differences,” he added. “I think that would be another element that we would be tracking that could have an impact on the performance and the top line.”
Diageo CEO Sir Dave Lewis was a little more cautious in his optimism.
“There is no history in terms of how the brands will respond to activation,” he said. “We’ll use the usual metrics in terms of impact on the brand equity and also the impact on both short term and sort of medium [to] long term sales.
“North America is probably going to be a bit more of a voyage of discovery. We probably feel more confident in the reaction in Latin America, given what we know about the passion for football that exists in that part of the world.”
Diageo is activating across five of its brands: Don Julio, Buchanan’s, Casamigos, Johnnie Walker and Smirnoff.
“This 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,” Diageo’s Vice President Global Sports Rick Pineda told CNN.
In an episode of Diageo’s A ‘Minute’ With, Pineda said sports partnerships create powerful opportunities for the company to connect with consumers.
“The tournament isn’t just about football; it’s a global occasion, whether people are watching in a stadium, in bars, or in the comfort of their own homes,” he said.
“For six weeks, consumers are talking about it around the world – before the matches, during the matches, after the matches – with friends, family, work colleagues, sometimes people they’ve only just met.
“We will bring our brands to life through on-the-ground activations, new advertising campaigns, limited edition bottles and retail programs across all 16 host cities.”
Among the activiations:
- As the Official Tequila Supporter of the FIFA World Cup 2026™, Casamigos’ rallying cry for the tournament is “Rivals at the Game, Casamigos at the Bar”. Central to the activation will be the question: Are you Team Classic Margarita or Team Spicy Margarita? Gabrielle Union has teamed up with Casamigos Tequila as a headline host for their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign, alongside actor and comedian Keegan-Michael Key.
- Tequila Don Julio has unveiled a limited-edition 1942 bottle inspired the FIFA World Cup™ trophy and crowned with a malachite closure.
- Buchanan’s Scotch Whisky brand is kicking off a music-fuelled celebration with 2X Latin GRAMMY® winner Rauw Alejandro.
- Smirnoff is releasing limited-edition bottles and 48 Caipiroska serves in Brazil inspired by each competing nation.
- A limited edition Johnnie Walker Red Label featuring its iconic striding man kicking instead.
Rabobank beverage analyst Bourcard Nesin said the World Cup should provide a boost for the drinks industry.
“The World Cup will increase consumption of beer, wine and spirits without question,” Nesin told CNN. “It’s a big boost for them at a time when they need it in a market where they need it most. The question is how much of a boost is enough?”