Top 10 spirits activations for the World Cup
In case you need a reminder, the 2026 Fifa World Cup kicks off tonight. From bottle designs to bar carts, here’s how spirits brands are celebrating.
Football, football and more football.
Tonight (11 June) sees Mexico and South Africa line up for the first match of the 37-day tournament, regarded by many as the world’s biggest sporting occasion, and which will take place across North America in Mexico, Canada and the US.
Diageo will serve as the tournament’s official spirits supporter and its core brands – including Don Julio, Casamigos and Buchanan’s – have rights to logos, imagery and official events.
Diageo’s leaders have earmarked the World Cup as a ‘critically important’ moment for the company, with chief financial officer Nik Jhangiani highlighting that this is “the first time a spirits producer is really supporting this”. Don Julio and Casamigos, for instance, are at the heart of a mega travel retail push.
With that said, outside of Diageo, a few other brands have also caught a case of football fever and acted accordingly.
Scroll below for 10 initiatives that spirits brands have put out in celebration of football and the World Cup.
Don Julio’s 1942 World Cup bottle
Don Julio got the ball rolling, mind the pun, when it introduced a limited edition bottle of 1942 in April inspired by the World Cup trophy.
The green and gold bottle is crowned with a malachite closure and features official Fifa World Cup 2026 marks to accentuate its status as a collectable for Tequila and football fans alike. Julian Garcia, vice-president of Don Julio at Diageo North America, said of the bottle, which retails in the US for US$225: “In creating this beautiful, limited edition bottle design, we set out to give fans a trophy of their own – one worthy of being raised in celebration of the iconic, once-in-a-lifetime moments that define the Fifa World Cup.”
Diageo also supported the bottle’s launch – and Don Julio’s involvement in the tournament – with a campaign starring former Brazilian star leftback Roberto Carlos and French striker Thierry Henry where the two football legends linked up to unveil the bottle and its miniature format in a cinematic TV spot.
Casamigos’ ‘friendly’ rivalry campaign
Casamigos, the tournament’s official Tequila supporter, tapped into the friendly rivalry aspect of football through a campaign that sported the tagline: ‘Rivals in the game, Casamigos at the bar’.
Think a bit of light-hearted banter with friends rather than Brazil vs Argentina though.
The initiative pitted the brand’s two newly-launched bottled pre-mixed Margaritas against each other: Team Classic for the Classic Lime variant, and Team Spicy for its Spicy Marg. Two celebrity friends of the brand’s brought the campaign to life; in Keegan-Michael Key, who is Team Classic (being a fan of the history and old rivalries), while Gabrielle Union is on Team Spicy, as she “loves a little heat”.
The two products serve 10 cocktails and retail for US$21.99 each – ideal for when you’re in need of whipping up some quick and easy matchday Margs. The brand will also engage fans throughout the tournament at host stadiums and official fan zones (featuring plenty of Casamigos Margaritas), plus a series of ‘House of Friends’ activations across host cities Toronto and Vancouver in Canada.
Bacardí’s football bottle
While bearing no official affiliation with the tournament like all other non-Diageo brands, Bacardí released a limited bottle that you could safely associate with football and the global camaraderie around the sport.
The bottle’s artwork is stadium-inspired with a football and cheering fans in its centre, and also features foil and varnish detailing. The liquid within is Bacardí’s Golden Rum, aged in toasted oak barrels and said to be ‘ideal for mixing cocktails without overpowering them’. The bottle retails in the US for an affordable US$12.99.
Perhaps a few Mojitos to keep you going while watching four group stage games on the bounce?
Clase Azul Spirit of Champions
Getting in on the themed-bottle act was luxury Tequila brand Clase Azul, which debuted a design that pays tribute to Mexico’s role as co-host of the tournament.
Named Spirit of Champions, the ceramic bottle is finished in luminous ivory and traced with golden lines, while a golden cap crowns the piece. The brand’s emblem then features at the bottle’s centre, crafted with malachite inlays and accented in green and gold. As for the liquid, if you’re bold enough to open it, it’s a joven Tequila curated by master distiller Viridiana Tinoco.
The blend consists primarily of Tequila aged for 28 months in French wooden vats made from fine-grain oak from the Forest of Tronçais, complemented by a touch of unaged Tequila created exclusively for the release. It is priced at US$1,700 and limited to 10,000 one-litre decanters.
“This limited edition is a tribute to the unique magic that emerges when different nations pursue the same trophy and, for 90 minutes, remind us that to feel intensely, collectively, is what makes us truly human,” said Arturo Lomelí, Clase Azul founder and CEO.
One for the fancy football fan…
Master of Malt’s 90s-inspired range
Nothing against modern football, high presses, heat maps and the rest, but the 90s were simply iconic, as Master of Malt acknowledged with the launch of a label-led limited edition whisky range.
The nostalgic range from the independent bottler celebrated that era of the beautiful game and the moments and kits that came with; from Italia 90 when England and Ireland participated and bowed out to much heartbreak for their supporters, to France 1998, which marked the last time Scotland appeared at the tournament.
The range features a five-strong squad including an Irish whiskey, although the nation unfortunately didn’t qualify, as well as a 27-year-old single malt from Ben Nevis that was distilled in the month Scotland last played at a World Cup.
“We created this range to celebrate two things that have always brought people together in a big way: world-class whisky and iconic football moments, “ said Sam Simmons, head of whisky at Master of Malt.
Drinks Bureau Lagerita beer hats
In support of its recently released canned Lagerita, The Drinks Bureau decided to serve up ‘the lovechild’ of a zesty Margarita and a crisp lager with ‘a side of mischief’.
The mischief the pre-mixed cocktail brand speaks of is one of more than 100 beer hats that will be available over the World Cup. The hats allow for hands-free drinking, so you can cheer and gesture away without having to worry about your glass or any drinks spillage. Shoppers at UK grocer Morrisons will have a shot at winning the hat through an in-store ‘scan-to-win’ giveaway.
“I couldn’t resist celebrating the launch with cheeky beer hats – I don’t do subtle,” said The Drinks Bureau founder Frankie Snobel.
Buchanan’s collectable bottles
Not to be outdone by the Tequila brands, Diageo’s blended Scotch whisky Buchanan’s also unveiled a line of World Cup edition bottles to mark the tournament.
Found on the packaging and bottles of its flagship 12-year-old and Pineapple expressions, the artwork was created by LA-based designers Kids of Immigrants, and features four unique designs. The idea was to celebrate the fields, streets and stadiums where football’s energy pulses.
Considering the brand’s strong following in Latin America, Buchanan’s has also partnered with Latin music star and Grammy nominee Rauw Alejandro. Together, they have invited fans for music-led celebrations that go ‘well beyond the final whistle’.
In addition, Buchanan’s has developed a signature serve for the tournament called the Buchanita, which mixes the brand’s 12-year-old Deluxe Whisky with fresh pineapple juice. The cocktail will be available in a collectible souvenir cup at the Fifa Fan Festival and stadium experiences in participating host cities.
BuzzBallz’s football-themed bar cart
BuzzBallz are everywhere these days – whisper it, but they’re kind of taking over the world – and this will naturally include the World Cup.
The Sazerac-owned ready-to-drink (RTD) brand has released an ‘Around the World Bar Cart’ that is shaped like the globe and can fit in each its new worldly SoccerBallz editions: the Caipi Crush (representing Brazil); Flags and Freedom (for the US) Fuego Tamarita (for Mexico) Pip Pip Punch (for England) Sol Siesta (for Spain); Smashentina (for Argentina); GOOOAAAAAAL Melon (for all countries); and Soccer Lime Rita (which is said to be ‘soccer jersey-inspired’).
The cart is available in limited quantities for US$48 as there are 48 teams in this year’s tournament, the most ever at a World Cup (fun fact). The cart itself is equipped with all the necessaries from interior lights to wheels and a pull-tap detail, while in the centre is ‘a soccer ball-sized opening’ for the Melon Boulder Buzzballz, described as a ‘massive three-litre crowd pleaser’.
“We knew we had to supersize the party for the big tournament, so we’re bringing fans our biggest, most shareable BuzzBallz format yet,” said the brand’s president Jess Scheerhorn.
J Rieger’s Raise A Cup experiences
J Rieger & Co will be playing dedicated host over the World Cup in its home of Kansas City, which will see a number of teams and games including a quarter-final.
The distillery has partnered with top Kansas City bars to invite fans on an app-guided ‘Raise A Cup Cocktail’ trail, showcasing both the local scene and Rieger’s spirits-based cocktails. Furthermore, it will also host an exclusive bar at Union Station and has partnered with art gallery Cézanne for three pop-ups that celebrate football and its connection to the city and arts.
And there’s also a limited edition football-inspired bottle design on offer for the brand’s Kansas City Whiskey. It was illustrated by local artist and winner of the distillery’s Fifa World Cup Poster contest, Jadie Arnett, with availability at both the distillery and the Union Station bar.
“Our landmark distillery is the perfect starting point [for World Cup visitors] to discover Kansas City history on a whiskey tour, sipping spirits in the Monogram Lounge or relaxing with family at Electric Park Garden Bar,” said co-founder Andy Rieger.
Don Julio’s Port of Champions takeover
Ahoy there…
Ahead of the World Cup final, which will be held at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on 19 July, Don Julio will close the curtain on its tournament celebrations with one last hurrah involving a 200-foot megayacht.
Running from 13-19 July, the megayacht will be docked at Chelsea Pier in Manhattan where next door at Pier 59, the waterfront area will be transformed into a ‘luxury hospitality hub’.
Dubbed Port of Champions, the takeover’s programming includes match-day parties, late-night celebrations, dining experiences, DJs and even ‘intimate Tequila tastings’ in an on-board speakeasy.
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