AB InBev replaces Bitburger as Leverkusen’s official beer partner from 2026-27

Bayer 04 Leverkusen have appointed Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) as their official beer partner from the 2026-27 season, replacing Bitburger as the Bundesliga club refreshes one of its longest-standing commercial categories.Leverkusen have signalled the agreement runs until 2031, giving AB InBev a multi-year platform at the BayArena and adding another major football property to the brewer’s global sponsorship portfolio.The partnership is expected to be anchored by Anheuser-Busch Bud as the headline beer, supported by German brands including Beck’s and Spaten Hell, with the club also indicating that local Cologne beer brand Früh will remain part of the matchday offering.The switch closes a lengthy chapter with Bitburger, which has been a prominent Leverkusen partner for decades and had its current agreement running until the end of the 2025-26 season.The move underlines the continued strength of the beer category in European football despite regulatory and responsibility pressures, particularly when deals can be structured around hospitality, pouring rights, matchday experience and portfolio-based brand activation.For AB InBev, the Leverkusen deal provides a domestic German stadium footprint for multiple brands and a matchday sales channel as well as traditional sponsorship assets.It also fits a broader industry pattern in which global brewers use clubs as localised activation engines, then deploy different brands for different audiences and occasions rather than relying on a single “hero” label.For Leverkusen, the change is a reminder that even long-held categories are being re-tendered as clubs seek improved rights fees, more integrated activation, and partners with the capacity to support international and digital campaigns.The partnership will begin in 2026-27, meaning Bitburger retains its rights and matchday presence through the 2025-26 season before AB InBev’s branding and product roll-out takes effect.