North America’s Major League Soccer has extended its partnership with Dutch brewing company Heineken.
The new five-year deal will see Heineken retain its position as the official beer of the league, a role it has held since 2015.
Heineken sponsors the league’s Rivalry Week matches, with the partnership also including tailgate sponsorships, stadium giveaways and the ‘Soccer Is Here’ campaign, which celebrates the history of football in the US.
Since becoming a sponsor of the league, Heineken has sold one million pints of beer annually at MLS matches, per depletion stats. Heineken is also a partner of 11 MLS clubs.
This year, MLS Heineken Rivalry Week will run from August 22-26 and includes New York City FC vs New York Red Bulls, LA Galaxy vs Los Angeles FC, Houston Dynamo vs FC Dallas, Orlando City SC vs Atlanta United and Portland Timbers vs Seattle Sounders.
Felix Palau, senior vice-president of marketing at Heineken, said: “Soccer has been a crucial platform for Heineken across the globe with multiple league, team and championship game sponsorships. In the US our partnership with MLS has helped drive the sport's rapid expansion and growing popularity.
“Our partners at MLS are some of our most important globally, and we can't wait to continue bringing fans closer to the game they love, with a Heineken in hand.”
Heineken replaced rival brand Budweiser as the official beer of MLS ahead of the 2015 season.
Meanwhile, the company has signed a five-year, founding-level partnership with MLS franchise D.C. United for the club’s new stadium, Audi Field.
Heineken will serve as the title sponsor of the stadium’s field-level Heineken Club, rooftop bar and additional fan initiatives. Audi Field is due to open on July 14.