Heineken renews Rugby World Cup partnership

Dutch brewing company Heineken has strengthened its long-running partnership with World Rugby after agreeing a deal to sponsor the 2019 World Cup, which will be staged in Japan.

Heineken will serve as a worldwide partner of the event as part of the deal, which also names the brewery as an official partner of this year’s Women’s World Cup in Ireland and an official sponsor of the 2017 World Rugby Awards in Monaco on November 26.

The partnership will extend Heineken’s association with the World Cup to 24 years.

The deal will seek to introduce more people to the sport in Japan, Asia and around the world. To mark the partnership, Heineken has released a short film featuring former Welsh rugby player and brand ambassador Scott Quinnell sharing his World Cup memories.

As part of the agreement, World Rugby and Heineken will aim to build upon the success of the coin toss and backstage activations successfully run during the 2015 World Cup in England. In addition, Heineken will enjoy exclusive pourage rights across the 12 match venues at Japan’s World Cup.

Hans Erik Tuijt, Heineken’s global sponsorship director, said: “As a beloved sport and event enjoyed by fans around the world, Rugby World Cup 2019 will yet again allow Heineken to create engaging experiences for fans at the tournament and at home in the 20 participating countries and beyond. This activity complements our other long-standing global partnership platforms; Formula One, Uefa Champions League and James Bond.”

Heineken follows Emirates in renewing as a 2019 Rugby World Cup worldwide partner and Canon as an official sponsor. World Rugby added that it is confident that the commercial programme for Japan 2019 will be finalised in record time with record value.