AB InBev and International Cricket Council Announce Landmark Global Partnership

BRUSSELS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 11, 2025--

The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced AB InBev (Euronext: ABI) (NYSE: BUD) (MEXBOL: ANB) (JSE: ANH), the world’s leading brewer, will become the Official Beer Partner for all major ICC tournaments starting in 2026. The partnership will be led by Budweiser 0.0, Budweiser’s no-alcohol beer in India, with other ABI mega brands activating in Europe and Africa.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251211250826/en/

From attending a match live in-stadium to watching one at a bar or pub with friends, with a lower alcohol-by-volume (ABV) and no-alcohol options like Budweiser 0.0, beer is the natural choice to enjoy responsibly. Through this partnership with the ICC, AB InBev will create more moments of cheers, choice and celebration for cricket fans of legal drinking age all over the world.

ICC CEO, Sanjog Gupta said: "Cricket is one of the world’s most loved sports with more than two billion fans and ICC events are its largest platforms for passion, while AB InBev has been at the forefront of creating experiential activations to grow and deepen fandom. This partnership is a natural alliance between organizations striving to elevate moments, create memories and deliver experiences via innovation in avenues for fan engagement. We welcome AB InBev to the ICC’s august list of commercial partners and look forward to co-delivering multi-modal event experiences across our tournaments and amplifying excitement for the sport around the world."

Global Chief Marketing Officer of AB InBev, Marcel Marcondes said: “Cricket is one of the world’s most popular and fastest-growing sports, and we are excited to connect with fans on this mega platform. Beer is the beverage for socialization and moderation, and our partnership with the ICC provides another occasion for our brands to create unforgettable experiences for consumers everywhere.”

The partnership includes all major ICC men’s and women’s events through 2027 including the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 in India & Sri Lanka, the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 in the UK, the inaugural ICC Women’s Champions Trophy 2027 in Sri Lanka, the ICC World Test Championship Final 2027 in England and the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2027 in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.

About ICC

The ICC is cricket’s global governing body, representing 110 members worldwide. It oversees major tournaments such as the Men’s and Women’s Cricket and T20 World Cups, enforces the Code of Conduct on professional standards and playing conditions (with the MCC responsible for the Laws of Cricket), appoints match officials for all international formats, and combats corruption through its Anti-Corruption Unit. Its Development department also works with Associate Members to strengthen cricket systems, raise standards, and grow the game globally.

About AB InBev

Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) is a publicly traded company (Euronext: ABI) based in Leuven, Belgium, with secondary listings on the Mexico (MEXBOL: ANB) and South Africa (JSE: ANH) stock exchanges and with American Depositary Receipts on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BUD). As a company, we dream big to create a future with more cheers. We are always looking to serve up new ways to meet life’s moments, move our industry forward and make a meaningful impact in the world. We are committed to building great brands that stand the test of time and to brewing the best beers using the finest ingredients. Our diverse portfolio of well over 500 beer brands includes global brands Budweiser®, Corona®, Stella Artois® and Michelob Ultra®; multi-country brands Beck’s®, Hoegaarden® and Leffe®; and local champions such as Aguila®, Antarctica®, Bud Light®, Brahma®, Cass®, Castle®, Castle Lite®, Cristal®, Harbin®, Jupiler®, Modelo Especial®, Quilmes®, Victoria®, Sedrin®, and Skol®. Our brewing heritage dates back more than 600 years, spanning continents and generations. From our European roots at the Den Hoorn brewery in Leuven, Belgium. To the pioneering spirit of the Anheuser & Co brewery in St. Louis, US. To the creation of the Castle Brewery in South Africa during the Johannesburg gold rush. To Bohemia, the first brewery in Brazil. Geographically diversified with a balanced exposure to developed and developing markets, we leverage the collective strengths of approximately 144 000 colleagues based in nearly 50 countries worldwide. For 2024, AB InBev’s reported revenue was 59.8 billion USD (excluding JVs and associates).

AB InBev and ICC announce global partnership

GOMA, Congo (AP) — More than 400 civilians have been killed as the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group continues its offensive in Kivu province in eastern Congo, regional officials said late Wednesday, adding that Rwandan special forces were in the strategic city of Uvira.

M23’s latest offensive comes despite a U.S.-mediated peace agreement signed last week by the Congolese and Rwandan presidents in Washington. The accord didn’t include the rebel group, which is negotiating separately with Congo and agreed earlier this year to a ceasefire that both sides accuse the other of violating. However, it obliges Rwanda to halt support for armed groups and work to end hostilities.

“More than 413 civilians (have been) killed by bullets, grenades, and bombs, including many women, children, and young people” in localities between Uvira and Bukavu, the regional capital, the South Kivu government spokesperson said in a statement late Wednesday.

“According to the information gathered, the forces present in the city are composed of Rwandan special forces and some of their foreign mercenaries, operating in clear violation of the ceasefire as well as the Washington and Doha agreements, in total disregard of the commitments made," the statement added.

M23 said it had taken control of the strategic city of Uvira in eastern Congo on Wednesday afternoon, following a rapid offensive since the start of the month.

The announcement by M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka, posted on the social platform X, encouraged citizens who fled to return to their homes. Uvira is an important port city on the northern tip of Lake Tanganyika and is directly across from neighboring Burundi’s largest city, Bujumbura.

Congo, the U.S. and U.N. experts accuse Rwanda of backing M23, which had hundreds of members in 2021. Now, according to the U.N., the group has around 6,500 fighters.

While Rwanda denies that claim, it acknowledged last year that it has troops and missile systems in eastern Congo, allegedly to safeguard its security. U.N. experts estimate there are up to 4,000 Rwandan forces in Congo.

Burundian Foreign Minister Edouard Bizimana, in an interview with French state media RFI on Wednesday, urged the U.S. to pressure Rwandan President Paul Kagame to ensure the implementation of the agreement signed in the U.S., saying, “M23 without Kagame, without Rwanda, is nothing.”

Bizimana said the capture of Uvira poses a threat to the economic capital, Bujumbura.

“We have registered more than 30,000 refugees and asylum seekers in the last three days… Uvira and Bujumbura are coastal cities. What threatens Uvira also threatens Bujumbura."

In a statement Wednesday, the U.S. Embassy in Kinshasa urged M23 and Rwandan troops to cease all offensive operations and for the Rwandan Defense Forces to withdraw to Rwanda.

On Wednesday morning, the Rwandan Ministry of Foreign Affairs blamed the Congolese armed forces for the recent ceasefire violations in a statement on X.

“The DRC has openly stated that it would not observe any ceasefire, and was fighting to recapture territories lost to AFC/M23, even as the peace process unfolded,” it said.

More than 100 armed groups are vying for a foothold in mineral-rich eastern Congo near the border with Rwanda, most prominently M23. The conflict has created one of the world’s most significant humanitarian crises, with more than 7 million people displaced, officials say.

Local U.N. partners report that more than 200,000 people have been displaced across the province since Dec. 2, with more than 70 killed. Civilians also have crossed into Burundi, and there have been reports of shells falling in the town of Rugombo, on the Burundian side of the border, raising concerns about the conflict spilling over into Burundian territory.

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Pronczuk reported from Dakar, Senegal. Associated Press writer Renovat Ndabashinze in Bujumbura, Burundi, contributed to this report.

FILE - M23 rebels escort government soldiers and police who surrendered to an undisclosed location in Goma, Democratic republic of the Congo, Jan. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa, File)