AB InBev Says Cheers to Bars for Vital World Cup Service

​AB InBev has launched a new global platform, ‘Cheers to Bars’, which celebrates local bars’ social and economic impact on communities around the world.

Created by GUT New York, the work takes the FIFA World Cup as the perfect, unifying moment to showcase just how important the role of these irreplaceable institutions are in cities, towns and villages across the globe.

In the hero film, produced by Sugarcane Films, with content curation, clearance and licensing help from Locomotive Content, clips and still images from myriad international watering holes show the wide range of emotional moments that take place within the four walls of a local bar – only heightened by the excitement of a sports tournament.

“Watching a match at a bar is a quintessential World Cup experience, and ‘Cheers to Bars’ is the perfect platform to tell these stories," said Lucas Bongioanni, chief creative officer at GUT New York. “The bar is where friends gather, strangers connect, and entire neighbourhoods rally behind the same moments of joy, anticipation and celebration."

The World Cup is the biggest occasion for the world’s game, so what better event to showcase the community-building power of bars and pubs everywhere, which are likely to be playing host to football fans for the next month or so?

Even beyond the World Cup, bars are more than just places to grab a beer. They are where people come together to connect, celebrate milestones and create memories. So with the 2026 World Cup being the biggest to date, and with Michelob ULTRA and Budweiser serving as official beer sponsors, it was a no-brainer for AB InBev to connect the event with the bars’ role as hubs of social connection.

“During the FIFA World Cup 2026™, bars will become the beating heart of every neighbourhood – places where strangers become friends, every goal is celebrated as one, and collective memories are created with every raised glass,” said Michel Doukeris, chief executive officer at AB InBev. “Beer and football have long been catalysts for bringing people together to create moments of joy and belonging. Nowhere is this spirit of beer and football more alive than in bars, where they share a special place in culture.”

Beyond its sponsorship of the tournament, AB InBev is also introducing trade programmes that help support bar owners, as well as hosting 200,000 watch parties across 40 countries throughout the tournament.

In the US specifically, AB InBev brand Stella Artois is launching ‘Work From Bar’, reimbursing up to $100,000 for fans 21+ who enjoy a Stella Artois 0.0 or Stella Artois while watching weekday FIFA World Cup 2026™ matches from their local bar.