The 2026 World Cup, hosted across the US, Canada and Mexico, will air many matches late into European evenings, creating a shift in drinking behaviour during the tournament.
Match timing reshapes drinking patterns
With matches kicking off around 9pm or 10pm or even later for European viewers, weekday games will finish in the early morning hours. That timing mismatch means fans face a choice: heavy drinking with a next-day hangover at work, or a lighter alternative. Alison Jordan, CEO of The Oxford Partnership, a market intelligence firm, notes that "moderate drinkers are increasingly important to the World Cup occasion, particularly with later kick-off times and consumers balancing work, travel and next-day responsibilities."
This timing effect arrives as consumption patterns are already shifting. In Europe, low and no alcohol drinks are now mainstream, with around one in every 15 beers sold being alcohol-free.
Sponsorship visibility lifts category awareness
Michelob Ultra Zero, an alcohol-free option from Anheuser-Busch, features as part of Michelob Ultra's Official Beer Sponsor campaign for the World Cup. The brand backs the tie-up with international stars Lionel Messi and Guillermo Ochoa, retired star Ronaldo Nazário and Canadian star Jonathan David. This sponsorship visibility could push mainstream consumers to try the category during the tournament, particularly through spontaneous purchases at venues.
Venues need new visibility strategy
Bars and pubs should place low and no alcohol options alongside standard beer and wine rather than as secondary choices. That means having at least one alcohol-free beer on draught or special mocktails on the menu. Venues should also stock smaller measures such as half pints or lower-ABV sessionable options.
Jordan emphasises that "operators can appeal to these [moderating] consumers by making no and low and moderation choices highly visible and credible rather than treating them as secondary options." A diverse drinks range also solves a venue problem: late matches make it harder to draw customers, so flexibility in drinking choices becomes a draw in itself.
Flexibility, not prohibition
The trend is not about rejecting alcohol. Many fans will still have alcoholic drinks but use strategies like zebra striping, alternating between alcoholic and non-alcoholic options to moderate intake. "Consumers still want the atmosphere, social connection and shared experience of watching football in venue, they just increasingly want flexibility in how they drink," Jordan said.