APRIL 28, 2006

Budweiser invests more in soccer

Budweiser brewer Anheuser-Busch has become the first company to sign up as a FIFA World Cup sponsor for the period spanning 2007 to 2014.

Budweiser brewer Anheuser-Busch has become the first company to sign up as a FIFA World Cup sponsor for the period spanning 2007 to 2014. Budweiser has been the official beer of the FIFA World Cup since 1986 and the new deal gives Anheuser-Busch global rights to both the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa and the 2014 FIFA World Cup, as well as to other FIFA competitions between them.

FIFA is currently in the process of settling its commercial package for the next seven years having signed up six partners (Adidas, Coca-Cola, Emirates, Hyundai, Sony and Visa). FIFA is now moving on to sign as many as eight "World Cup Sponsors", that will all enjoy global rights to the World Cup.

"The fact that Anheuser-Busch is extending its involvement with FIFA is testimony to the immense appeal of football as a game and to FIFA as a superior marketing platform for transporting a brand far and wide around the world," commented FIFA President Sepp Blatter.