Beer has claimed the top spot among beverages consumers plan to drink during World Soccer Tournament watch parties, according to a new survey released Wednesday, underscoring the outsized role major sporting events play in driving alcohol category volume.
The survey, distributed via GlobeNewswire, did not disclose the full sample size or margin of error, but its headline finding reinforces a well-documented pattern: beer sales spike materially around marquee football tournaments. Industry data from prior cycles, including the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, showed U.S. beer retail dollar sales rising approximately 5.0% during tournament weeks compared with equivalent non-event periods.
Beyond the category preference result, the survey surfaced a notable athlete-brand data point: Cristiano Ronaldo narrowly edged Lionel Messi as the soccer star consumers most associate with enjoying a beer — a finding with direct implications for sponsorship valuation. Both athletes command global endorsement portfolios worth hundreds of millions of dollars, and their perceived affinity for particular lifestyle categories can meaningfully shift brand consideration scores among beer advertisers targeting the 21-to-44 male demographic.
The result arrives as the beverage alcohol sector navigates a complex demand environment. Premium and import beer segments have outperformed domestic mainstream lagers in recent years, while the rise of ready-to-drink cocktails and hard seltzers has compressed beer's overall share of total alcohol occasions. Brewers including Anheuser-Busch InBev and Heineken have leaned heavily into sports sponsorship — including official World Cup partnerships — to defend volume and shelf presence heading into what they expect to be one of the highest-traffic tournament cycles in recent memory.
For on-premise operators, watch-party programming tied to the tournament represents a meaningful revenue window. Bar and restaurant groups that activated around the 2022 tournament reported single-night beer sales lifts of 20.0% to 35.0% on match days featuring popular national teams, according to operator surveys cited by Food & Beverage Magazine. Venues that pre-sold watch-party packages and locked in promotional pricing with distributor partners consistently outperformed those relying on walk-in traffic alone.
No forward guidance or financial projections were included in the survey release. The full methodology and sponsor identity had not been disclosed at press time. Industry analysts are expected to incorporate tournament-driven volume assumptions into mid-year category forecasts as the competition schedule firms up. Retailers and distributors have already begun negotiating incremental display and promotional commitments with major brewing suppliers ahead of the event, according to trade channel sources covering the beer and spirits sector.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
