At the tournament, meanwhile, Michelob Ultra is already handing out Superior Player of the Match trophies to the fan-voted best performer from each game. The brand has been using its Michelob Ultra Pitchside platform to give away seats to the tournament, hand out merch, and offer a chance to travel to the final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., on July 13.
At each of the tournament’s 12 host stadiums, Michelob Ultra is setting up beer gardens where fans can take photos with the Player of the Match trophy, win beer through games, and sample Michelob Ultra Zero. For the Club World Cup Finals weekend, the brand is opening the Pitchside Club in New York to host watch parties, record podcasts, show off pieces from the FIFA Museum in Switzerland, and give fans a chance to shoot against a goalkeeping legend.
With soccer playing an escalating role in the U.S. during this year’s Club World Cup and Concacaf Gold Cup, next year’s World Cup, the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, and the Women’s World Cup in 2031, Marques sees more opportunities to make Michelob Ultra a presence in social U.S. soccer settings.
“We’re incredibly excited about this golden era of soccer we’re witnessing in the U.S.,” Marques said. “Today, there are 80 million soccer fans from coast to coast and growing, so we’re very excited about being part of that, especially with the backdrop of all these international events coming to home soil.”
