February 20 – Coca-Cola has confirmed it will replace BodyArmor with Powerade as the official sports drink of Major League Soccer (MLS) and U.S. Soccer. The beverage giant, a long-standing partner of football’s biggest tournaments, is backing Powerade’s resurgence to attract younger consumers while aiming to wrestle back market share from Gatorade.
In MLS, Coca-Cola has secured Powerade’s position as the league’s official sports drink through the 2029 season, signing a fresh five-year deal. BodyArmor originally assumed that role in 2019, replacing AdvoCare ReHydrate, but when the 2025 MLS season kicks off this weekend, Powerade will take over. The brand will also feature at 10 MLS clubs, including Atlanta United, Austin FC and Sporting Kansas City.
Meanwhile, Coca-Cola is also holding its ground with U.S. Soccer. The company’s five-year agreement with the federation, signed in 2023, had originally installed BodyArmor as the official sports drink through 2028. That contract remains intact, but with Powerade taking its place. A similar shift is expected among U.S. national team endorsers, with stars like Alex Morgan and the Thompson sisters (Alyssa and Gisele) likely to transition from BodyArmor to Powerade.
On the global stage, Coca-Cola’s long-standing partnership with FIFA ensures that Powerade will enjoy prime exposure at both the 2025 Club World Cup in the United States and the 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the U.S., Mexico and Canada. The brand also plans to unveil new male football ambassadors ahead of this summer’s expanded Club World Cup, although details remain under wraps.
The real battle, however, is against Gatorade. PepsiCo’s sports drink powerhouse still dominates the U.S. market, commanding 62.8% of sales revenue in the first nine months of 2024. In contrast, Coca-Cola’s combined sports drink portfolio of Powerade and BodyArmor accounts for 19.9%, with Powerade’s 10.8% share making it a distant second. With renewed investment in football, though, alongside its presence in the NCAA and the U.S. Olympic setup, Coca-Cola is signalling its intent to close the gap.
“One of the biggest opportunities we have with Powerade is to really start to age down our consumer, because our consumers have aged as the brand has aged,” said Thomas Gargiulo, CMO of Coca-Cola’s BodyArmor Sports Nutrition division (which has overseen Powerade since 2023). “Given the fact that [soccer] is primarily a youth sport in the U.S. and it’s gaining more and more fans every day, the average age is very appealing for us, and ultimately, we felt like it was a great fit for Powerade.”
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