Health experts to FIFA: End Coca-Cola sponsorship, stop World Cup “sportswashing”
Doctors are urging football’s governing body FIFA to drop Coca-Cola as sponsors of the 2025 Club World Cup, which begins this week. The health professionals assert that Coca-Cola and other sugary drinks companies have “exploited the world’s most popular sport for commercial gain — profiting off players and fans while contributing to a global health crisis.”
“FIFA now has an opportunity to lead by example and send a powerful message — that health supersedes corporate sponsorship,” write Dr. Chris van Tulleken at University College London (UK) and professor Carlos Monteiro at the University of São Paulo (Brazil).
“As FIFA’s official sponsor since 1978, Coca-Cola has leveraged its massive platform to promote sugary drinks to billions, in spite of the demonstrable link between sugary drinks and type 2 diabetes, dental caries, obesity, and many other negative health outcomes,” they underscore.
“By embedding itself in football and other beloved sports, Coca-Cola isn’t just sponsoring the game; it’s normalizing excessive sugar consumption, contradicting the principles of fitness and health that sport represents.”
New research has linked sugary drink consumption to type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease across 184 countries, they add. These products are ultra-processed and nutrient-poor, offering no nutritional benefit while fueling diet-related diseases.
“Perhaps most concerning is their appeal to children, who are particularly susceptible to the allure of sugary drinks and their pervasive marketing.”
“Sportwashing” negative health effects
Despite mounting evidence of harm, the researchers note that sugary drinks producers continue to buy partnerships with sports organizations, securing influence and unrestricted access while putting public health at risk.
They acknowledge that this behavior is not unique to a single company and point to influential campaigns like “Kick Big Soda Out of Sport!” that have ignited a movement to end these pernicious sponsorships.
However, they argue that FIFA, as the global ambassador and governing body of football, has cosigned this misleading behavior and continues to profit from the partnership. “In doing so, it allows Coca-Cola to sportswash away the negative health effects of its product by linking it with athletic achievement and sportsmanship.”
“We can’t ignore the irrefutable link between sugary drink consumption and poor health,” they conclude. “By ending its sponsorship deal with Coca-Cola, FIFA could send a powerful message — that health supersedes corporate sponsorship.”
“Big Soda has exploited the world’s most popular sport for commercial gain, and in this moment, FIFA has an opportunity to lead by example.”
Kicking big soda out of sport
Together with global health groups, the Center for Science in the Public Interest issued a call last summer to the International Olympic Committee to drop its sponsorship from Coca-Cola. The organization argues such brands that sponsor sporting events create a “health halo” for unhealthy products by associating them with leading athletes.
In efforts to refresh its image, Coca-Cola launched a range of prebiotic sodas under its Simply brand in the US in February, to tap escalating demands for gut-health-focused beverages. The “Simply Pop” portfolio includes no added sugar and 25–30% real fruit juice from concentrate, which the company says is a “first” for the fast-growing segment.
On the public health policy front, the UK’s soft drinks industry levy proved to be a win for public health, prompting researchers to explore the benefits of a mandatory sugar levy on a wider array of high-sugar products. Experts recommend expanding the levy to other products and lowering the sugar content threshold to boost its effectiveness.
