Grupo Modelo’s plan to make Mexico the World Cup’s best host country: Beer everywhere

The nation’s apical brewer is betting that brew — accepted cerveza as good arsenic the progressively fashionable non-alcoholic assortment — volition assistance marque Mexico the champion big state of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Grupo Modelo has revealed an assertive program to enactment its flagship brands successful stadiums, instrumentality zones, country stores and restaurants across Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey.

A acquisition learned astatine the past World Cup, erstwhile Qatar imposed an in-stadium prohibition, is that non-alcoholic brew has go popular. Said the company’s sponsorship director, “When there’s soccer, there’s beer, and it doesn’t needfully person to person alcohol.” (Secretaría de Desarollo Económico Oaxaca)

“We person precise precocious expectations of delivering the champion acquisition ever seen astatine a World Cup, and we deliberation that Mexico volition intelligibly beryllium the champion of the 3 venues,” Alejandro Gershberg, Grupo Modelo’s sponsorship director, told Sports Illustrated México.

The 48-team men’s shot tourney successful Mexico, the United States and Canada will unfastened June 11 astatine Mexico City’s iconic Estadio Azteca, which has sold naming rights to Banorte successful a sponsorship deal.

And though Mexico volition big conscionable 13 of the record 104 matches, authorities expect much than 800,000 fans successful stadiums and much than 6 cardinal radical astatine instrumentality fests and nationalist viewing areas nationwide — positive 5.5 cardinal overseas visitors betwixt May and July.

Backed by planetary elephantine AB InBev, Grupo Modelo controls immoderate of Mexico’s best-known beers, including Corona, Pacífico, Negra Modelo and Modelo Especial, on with chiefly home labels Victoria and León.

Corona is Mexico’s best-selling brew and among the world’s apical 5 most-consumed beers.

In 2023, Modelo Especial moved past Bud Light arsenic the top-selling brew successful the U.S., remaining No. 1 by dollar income since then, though Michelob Ultra has edged up connected volume.

According to manufacture sources, Mexican brew accounts for roughly 80% of each brew imported into the U.S. successful caller years. Also, Mexico accounts for astir 30-36% of the world’s brew exports, which by measurement surpasses that of immoderate different state by more than double.

Mexico City-based Modelo employs astir 30,000 workers astatine 10 breweries nationwide and besides operates bottle-making and malt-processing plants.

The 2022 Qatar World Cup provided an unexpected formal rehearsal for Modelo’s World Cup strategy.

Less than 2 days earlier kickoff, FIFA banned intoxicant income wrong Qatar’s 8 big stadiums, forcing AB InBev to pivot to Budweiser Zero, its non-alcoholic variant, portion limiting full-strength brew to instrumentality fests and different approved sites.

Gershberg said that displacement “helped show that erstwhile there’s soccer, there’s beer, and it doesn’t needfully person to person alcohol,” opening the doorway for wider adoption of products specified arsenic Budweiser Zero and Corona Cero.

Non-alcoholic brew has since go 1 of the industry’s fastest-growing segments. NielsenIQ information cited by Gershberg amusement no-alcohol brew income rising astatine an yearly complaint of 30% implicit the past 5 years, 15 times faster than accepted beer.

The World Cup is besides feeding into a broader depletion boom.

The Mexican Franchise Association projects 6% maturation successful the franchise assemblage successful 2026, driven partially by World Cup-related spending and section promotions (pop-ups, viewing parties, peculiar paper offerings, transportation promos, etc.) tied to the World Cup.

Restaurant leaders forecast match-day income spikes of up to 15% successful the big markets.

With reports from Sports Illustrated México and Mexico Business News