The FIFA World Cup has been a bonanza for beer in the United States, with bars in Boston reportedly needing emergency deliveries to keep taps from running dry on some game days. Fans downed a total of 290,000 stadium beers during the six matches in Philadelphia, FIFA organizers said.
But all that frothy foam obscures a cold reality: Beer sales have been struggling globally, and it’s unclear whether soccer’s world championship tournament can reverse the trend despite having three countries and 16 cities as co-hosts this year.
In the U.S., beer consumption has fallen steadily for a decade, according to the Brewers Association, a trade group for craft brewers. Canada has seen a similar decline, according to the national statistics agency. The Brewers of Europe trade association says the story is the same in the European Union.
Consumers are buying less regular beer and more “wellness” drinks, with many consumers cutting back on alcohol for health reasons. Last year was the first time in Gallup’s polling that a majority of Americans — 53% — said drinking “one or two drinks a day” was bad for one’s health.
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Enter the World Cup and the soccer fans who traveled from around the world to support their national teams and engage in communal celebration or sorrow.
Despite some sticker shock from fans unaccustomed to alcohol prices in America, the first four weeks of the tournament saw beer sales in bars, restaurants, stadiums and other venues rise 14% in U.S. host cities compared to the same period last year, according to the Beer Institute. The bump extended beyond host cities; sales were up 4% nationally, the institute said.
Jim Koch, the brewer, founder and CEO of the Boston Beer Co., which makes Samuel Adams and other brands, said the company had to make two emergency deliveries to its Sam Adams Boston Taproom on the first day that Scotland’s fans were in town.
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“At one point, we were pouring them a Sam Adams Boston Lager every 12 seconds. What a wonderful group of people,” he said.
But that wasn’t all that warmed Koch’s heart.
“I didn’t see a single soul on their phone,” he said, “They had a beer in their hand and they were talking to each other. They were doing what beer is meant to do, which is helping people enjoy each other’s company.”
The plentiful drinking on display in stadiums stood in stark contrast to the World Cup held four years ago in Qatar, where the government banned the sale of alcoholic beer in match venues.
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Brewers leaned heavily into this year’s tournament. Budweiser and Michelob Ultra maker AB InBev, the World’s Cup’s official beer sponsor, doled out marketing support to bars and hosted 200,000 watch parties in 40 countries.
Molson Coors said it would spend 60% more than last year on marketing in June and July; it also debuted a limited edition soccer ball that can hold 12 cans of Miller Lite.
Beer consumption was expected to fall in some markets even before the World Cup ended. Shares in AB InBev and Constellation Brands — which owns the U.S. rights to Mexican beer brands including Corona and Modelo — tumbled after Mexico and Brazil were eliminated from the tournament.
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Purser remains hopeful the World Cup will remind people how much they like to gather and cheer on athletes, especially with the Summer Olympics heading to Los Angeles in 2028. Occasions are expanding, he said; college and professional football games are now played on more nights of the week, for example. And the consumer base for beer is widening as more brands put out low- and no-alcohol versions, he said.
In May, the NCAA reversed its long-standing ban on alcohol advertising during March Madness, allowing makers of beer, wine, spirits and hard seltzer makers to sponsor the college basketball tournaments for the first time starting next season.
The Boston Beer Co.’s Koch said he’s not fretting until then.
“People worry that the beer business has declined for a few years, and I always remind them that beer has been a part of human society, human civilization, for 10,000 years,” he said. “Beer will always be a part enhancing our enjoyment of our lives and the time we spend on this Earth.”
The World Cup in North America comes to an end Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey, when Spain takes on Argentina in the final. The third-place game is the day before in Miami Gardens, Florida, when semifinal losers England and France play.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
