New York —
Forget ticket sales and geopolitical tensions. The World Cup might face another hurdle: A years-long decline in drinking.
A massive global sporting event should be a celebration for the alcohol industry, as people cram into bars or throw watch parties at home. Anheuser-Busch InBev, Heineken, Molson Coors as well as liquor giant Diageo are all pouring big money into the soccer spectacle.
But the tournament is mostly taking place in the United States, where drinking is plummeting.
“The alcohol business in the United States is struggling more than in virtually any other part of the world,” said Bourcard Nesin, a beverage analyst for Rabobank. “We’re seeing dramatic declines in consumption that aren’t taking place elsewhere.”
