No matter what else may be going on in the world (and there certainly is a lot), this year is bound to be a good one for sports.

Northern Italy is hosting the Winter Olympics (and then the Winter Paralympics) starting next week. Also, next week, California will host a televised 15-minute Bad Bunny concert that apparently also includes a football game between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots.

All this leads up to the World Cup this summer, being held across North America, the first ever to feature 48 teams from around the world. Naturally, we're rooting for one of the 9 Latin American teams to clinch victory.

No matter who wins, though, we have a feeling that one clear victor will be the $882B beer market. And what do you know—the #1 beer is also Latin American.

Horizontal bar chart comparing 2025 brand value for top beer brands, showing Corona is the most valuable globally | Sources: Brand Finance, Latinometrics
The crown of beer brands belongs to Corona

Valued at over $13B in 2025, Corona is the world's top beer brand, beating out Dutch and even US competitors to rest on the throne. Last year was a special year for Corona beyond its incredible sales, as the beer celebrated its 100th birthday since it was first introduced by German immigrant and brewmaster Adolph Henry Schmedtje in Mexico.

The brewery that created Corona, Grupo Modelo, was founded in 1922 and sold 8M bottles within just 6 years. The namesake beer brand was valued at over $7B last year, coming in at fourth among all brands and bolstering Mexico's position among global leaders.

Now, longtime Latinometrics fans know that Mexico has been the top beer exporter for over a decade now, powered in large part by Grupo Modelo's success in reaching markets across Europe, Asia, and North America.

Grouped bar chart comparing the brand value of the world's top 10 beer brands, showing Michelob Ultra's significant growth from 2024 to 2025 | Sources: Latinometrics
Michelob Ultra's brand appreciated 87% last year

This summer, Latin Americans from around the region will no doubt enjoy following the World Cup with beer in hand (please drink responsibly). Whichever of the region's teams (Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, or Uruguay) rise to the top, we know that local beers like Corona and Modelo will be enjoyed.

After all, we all know: there's nothing quite like cracking open a cold one while watching your team unceremoniously crash out of the Round of 16 against a far inferior team.