The 2026 World Cup, hosted across the United States, Mexico, and Canada, is shaping up to be the largest advertising event in history, with global spending estimated near $10.5 billion. What is notable for this category is where the beer money is going. Anheuser-Busch InBev, a major FIFA sponsor, is putting its non-alcoholic brands — Corona Cero, Michelob Ultra Zero, and Budweiser Zero — at the center of campaigns featuring Lionel Messi, Ronaldo Nazário, and other stars. Corona Cero is already the first global beer sponsor of the Olympic Games; now the zero-proof push moves to soccer's biggest stage.
It is not just one company. Molson Coors is using the tournament to launch Coors 0.0 as a flagship, Heineken continues to lean on Heineken 0.0 through its long-running sports partnerships, and Guinness 0.0 is along for the ride. Even challenger brands are working the moment: the UK's Mash Gang, whose flagship "Chug" took gold at the 2026 World Beer Cup, is chasing grassroots activations rather than paying for official sponsorship. Anheuser-Busch has reported a 27% revenue jump from its non-alcoholic portfolio, which helps explain the confidence.
The framing has shifted along with the spending. As one Mintel analyst put it, the future with younger drinkers "isn't about drinking more, it's about belonging." Backing that up: Gallup now finds just 54% of Americans drink alcohol — the lowest in 90 years — and 81% say they actively moderate. One industry CEO estimates non-alcoholic products could make up 20% of the drinking experience by 2030.
The Cr(af)ted Take
This is a marketing milestone more than a product one, but the milestone matters. For decades, the alcohol-free option was the thing brands hid at the bottom of the menu. Watching the largest brewers on earth spend World Cup money to put the 0.0 in the hands of Messi is the clearest signal yet that "no thanks" has become a mainstream choice worth billions — not a niche accommodation.
The beer companies are chasing the same insight this site is built on: the drink is really about the occasion. People gather to watch the match, and they want something good in their hand whether or not it contains alcohol. That is exactly the moment a well-made alcohol-free cocktail is built for. If the World Cup gets a few million people to try their first credible 0.0 beer, some of them will go looking for what else they can make — and that is where the real craft begins.
Original reporting: Forbes →