No chimaek boom, but the North American World Cup is the 'Beer World Cup' [★World Cup Biz Lee Jong-seong ①]

*This content was translated by AI.

Recently, the global beer market has contracted. From 2014 to 2024, global beer consumption fell by 3%, while in the United States, consumption plummeted by as much as 17%. This is because younger generations, unlike previous ones, are drinking less alcohol and turning to other beverages such as highballs, tea, and cocktails. Consumption of these beverages increased by 54% between 2019 and 2024.

Accordingly, competition among the global beer industry ahead of the 2026 FIFA North American World Cup has become fiercer than ever. This is why Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev), an official FIFA World Cup partner, is pouring in $110 million (approximately 171.5 billion won) in sponsorship and advertising costs.

Since the 1986 Mexico World Cup, AB InBev has been the tournament's sponsor. It is the world's largest beer manufacturer, holding more than 600 beer brands globally, including Budweiser, Corona, and Korea's Cas. The reason AB InBev is focusing on World Cup sponsorship is that it holds an 85% market share worldwide, excluding North America. This means there is no event better than the World Cup for penetrating these overseas markets.

Molson Coors, which holds the second-largest market share in the United States, also plans to increase its advertising spending on its own beer brands by more than 60% ahead of the World Cup. According to a May 31 (local time) report by The New York Times, this is expected to be the largest amount Molson Coors has spent on sports advertising in the past decade. Along with this, Molson Coors is launching a limited-edition soccer ball stand that can hold 12 Miller Lite beer cans to capitalize on the World Cup boom.

In the fragmented and personalized media environment of the 21st century, the World Cup, where over 1 billion people watch matches simultaneously, is a very important event for beer companies.

In fact, on the 6th (local time), the UK's Financial Times forecast that football fans would consume 1 billion pints more beer during the North American World Cup than usual. Since the number of participating countries has increased to 48, with a total of 104 matches to be played, this World Cup is highly likely to become the one in history where the most beer is consumed.

The newspaper predicted that beer consumption in European and American countries would increase significantly during this World Cup. This is because viewing times for the North American World Cup in Europe and the Americas are concentrated between 5 p.m. and 11 p.m., the so-called drinking peak hours. Moreover, considering that Europe and the Americas account for about 55% of global beer consumption, increasing beer sales during the World Cup period in these regions is crucial for beer companies.

This is a situation completely different from Korea, where the 'chimaek fever' used to sweep the country during the World Cup. Since the North American World Cup matches will be held between 1 a.m. and 1 p.m. Korean time, the chimaek boom that has appeared every World Cup in Korea is difficult to expect.

However, Mexico, where Korea's group stage matches will be held, is a market that the beer industry is closely watching. Over the past decade, beer consumption in Mexico has surged by as much as 48%, contrary to the global trend. For this reason, the beer industry is placing its hopes on Mexico's World Cup performance. However, the recent poor performance of the Mexican national football team is a hurdle.

Brazil is another representative country where beer consumption has increased significantly over the past decade, alongside Mexico. During this period, the 'kingdom of football' Brazil, where beer sales increased by about 16%, has yet to win the World Cup since 2002. This is why the beer industry is paying attention to Brazil's chances of winning the World Cup.

As such, beer consumption in each country is heavily influenced by the performance of its team in the World Cup. For this reason, global beer companies are working to quickly adjust inventory in each country to avoid beer shortages or excess inventory in those markets.

However, there are also concerns that beer sales in the United States, where 78 of the 104th North American World Cup matches will be held, may not increase significantly.

Fundamentally, the number of overseas tourists to the World Cup can have a significant impact on beer sales in the United States. However, expensive ticket prices, soaring airfares following the Iran war, and the United States' stringent visa policies for tourists could act as headwinds for the number of World Cup tourists and beer sales.

Additionally, the fact that U.S. consumers are also reducing unnecessary spending, such as beer purchases, due to rising food and gasoline prices is a concern for the beer industry ahead of the World Cup.

With growing consumer interest in health and unfavorable macroeconomic trends, beer manufacturers have responded by launching non-alcoholic and premium beers. Even Heineken, a sponsor of the UEFA Champions League and Major League Soccer (MLS), is pursuing a marketing strategy that emphasizes the social benefits of human connection and camaraderie through beer drinking in the era of smartphone addiction.

Facing a crisis due to soaring costs and sluggish consumer spending, can the beer industry create an opportunity for a turnaround through the 2026 North American World Cup? This is expected to be the biggest viewing point of the North American World Cup from an industrial perspective.

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*This content was translated by AI.