Heineken Rivalry Week is going nowhere. On March 20th, MLS announced a 5-year extension of their partnership with the beer producer through the 2022 season. Heineken will continue to have the naming rights for moments like Rivalry Week, activations that surround it, and have digital content integrations, but most importantly it will stay on as the official beer of the league.
Heineken is one brand that has made a deep commitment to global soccer but also very much so in the US. To complement their league-wide deal, Heineken has club deals with nearly half (48%) of the league, including announcing their partnership with D.C. United where they have a founding level status on the same day as the extension of the league-wide deal.
“We’re some of the biggest fans of soccer globally, and we’ve been investing in growing the beautiful game for two decades. Since working with MLS, we’ve seen a huge spike in our pull with soccer fans and supporters, and we hope to continue this trend for the short and long term.” – Heineken’s SVP of Marketing, Felix Palau
It seems that for the foreseeable future, a soccer fan’s first thought when it comes to a beer on game day will likely be Heineken.
PS – Spend 5 minutes enjoying Kevin Brown taking you through a Heineken Rivalry Week activation from a few years ago, “Human Foosball”. Trust us, you’ll want to see this.
Categories: Heineken, Major League Soccer, Sponsorship