Ahead of the start of the soccer World Cup on Thursday, global health advocates are demanding that FIFA, the international soccer federation, end its partnership with Coca-Cola by 2030.
Coca-Cola has sponsored the FIFA World Cup, the most watched sporting tournament in the world, since 1978. Its sponsorship deal, which represents around 2% of FIFA’s revenue, will be reviewed in 2030.
He “Put aside the big soft drinks” the movement has written to the president of FIFA, Giovanni Infantinodemanding that the federation publicly commit to ending its sponsorship agreement with the Coca-Cola Company and establish a partnership policy that excludes sponsorship of ultra-processed food and beverage companies from 2030.
“During the 2026 tournament, up to six billion fans – many of them children – will see marketing linking soccer’s biggest stars to sweetened drinks linked to obesity, type 2 diabetes and other diet-related diseases,” the letter states.
“This is sportswashing: using the power of football to normalize unhealthy products. Football deserves better. Fans deserve better. Forty years ago, FIFA stopped accepting dangerous tobacco advertising. Sweetened drinks deserve the same treatment.”
Excessive sugar consumption is one of the key factors in rising rates of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. Type 2 diabetes is one of the fastest growing global health threats; It is estimated that there are currently 537 million adults living with diabetes.
In 2020 alone, 2.2 million new cases of type 2 diabetes worldwide were attributed to the consumption of sugary drinks, with the largest proportion of cases occurring in young adults between 20 and 30 years old.
Obesity has more than doubled among adults and quadrupled among children and adolescents since 1990.
‘Breaking national co-host rules’
The World Cup is co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, and all three co-hosts are fighting to address the health impacts of increasing consumption of soft drinks and ultra-processed foods.
“Canada and Mexico have enacted front-of-package warning labels on products with excess sugar, salt and fat, and Mexico has led the way on health taxes on sweetened beverages, along with the Canadian provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador,” according to a news release from Kick Big Soda Out.
“These measures reflect years of deliberate public health advocacy to curb consumption of the unhealthy products Coca-Cola markets to millions of fans, especially children.”
Coca-Cola’s prominent presence at the 2026 World Cup “disregards national regulations designed to protect public health,” undermining the work countries are doing to reduce sugar consumption and improve the health of their citizens.
Sports wash
“Big Soda has perfected a unique scam: exploiting major athletic venues to launder a product linked to rising rates of diet-related diseases,” said Sandra Mullin, senior vice president at Vital Strategies, which is leading the campaign.
“Big Tobacco was excluded from major sporting events because sponsorship legitimized harm. Big Soda deserves the same treatment. The World Cup should not wash away Big Soda’s image. It’s time to put people before profits.”
Coca-Cola is also the world’s leading plastic polluter, followed by PepsiCo, Nestlé, Danone and Altria. Approximately 21 to 34 billion plastic soft drink bottles pollute the ocean each year, primarily from water and carbonated soft drinks.
Kick Big Soda Out has amassed more than 522,000 followers and endorsements from 97 organizations since launching during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Coca-Cola is also the world’s leading plastic polluter, followed by PepsiCo, Nestlé, Danone and Altria. Approximately 21 to 34 billion plastic soft drink bottles pollute the ocean each year, primarily from water and carbonated soft drinks.
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