FA Cup to be sponsored by Budweiser beer
- Published
US beer company Budweiser has been named as the first US sponsor of English football's FA Cup, in a three-year deal.
The amount of money paid by the firm, owned by St Louis-based Anheuser-Busch, has not been disclosed.
Budweiser has been a sponsor of the football World Cup for 25 years and also backs US motorsport.
The FA Cup had been sponsored by energy giant E.On for five years, from 2006 to 2011.
The competition will now be known as the FA Cup with Budweiser.
Budweiser is a subsidiary of global drinks giant Anheuser-Busch Inbev, formed in 2008 after InBev bought Anheuser-Busch.
"We are extremely pleased to have secured an iconic brand such as Budweiser to be the lead partner of the FA Cup," said FA General Secretary Alex Horne.
The cup, currently held by Manchester City after they beat Stoke City in May's final, is the world's oldest domestic competition.
It means England's two domestic cups are now sponsored by beer brands, with Carling the title sponsor of the League Cup.