LEAGUES CUP ANNOUNCES GRAN CENTENARIO TEQUILA AS OFFICIAL TEQUILA PARTNER OF INAUGURAL TOURNAMENT

Mexico's #1 Tequilaⁱ, Gran Centenario, pens multi-year deal as 'Official Tequila'
for annual World Cup-style tournament featuring all MLS and LIGA MX clubs

NEW YORK and MEXICO CITY, June 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Gran Centenario^® Tequila and Leagues Cup announced Gran Centenario as the 'Official Tequila' for Leagues Cup – the first tournament in global soccer history to bring together two professional leagues and have the endorsement of the official soccer organizing bodies.

Founded by the first Tequila Master Distiller in history and handcrafted in the highlands of Jalisco, Gran Centenario is a family-owned tequila rooted in over a century of craft. As Mexico's #1 tequila and established partner of the Mexican National Soccer Team's U.S. Tour Gran Centenario's new partnership with Leagues Cup celebrates the passion of soccer fans across the United States and Mexico - as they come together for this special tournament.

In a new milestone in the history of North American soccer, Leagues Cup is a World-Cup style competition in which all 47 MLS and LIGA MX clubs will pause their respective league seasons and compete in the official Concacaf competition each summer. Leagues Cup 2023 will kick off July 21 and the Final will be played on August 19.

"Mexico's two biggest passions are soccer and tequila. As the #1 tequila in Mexico, Gran Centenario Tequila is fully invested in igniting these two passions across all of North America as the 'Official Tequila' of Leagues Cup 2023," said Lander Otegui, Senior Vice President, Marketing at Proximo Spirits. "Tequila is the perfect unifier between Mexican and United States soccer fans, and we look forward to introducing new fans to the brand and celebrating the spirit of Mexico with each and every one of them."

Leagues Cup is part of the evolution of the successful partnership between MLS and LIGA MX that launched in 2018. The partnership is rooted in on-field rivalry but connected by a true spirit of collaboration off the field, with a focus on sharing best practices, growing the beautiful game in North America, and being a force for positive change in the communities of both leagues. 

"Leagues Cup is proud to announce Gran Centenario as the Official Tequila of the inaugural tournament in 2023," said Jennifer Cramer, Executive Vice President at Soccer United Marketing. "With Leagues Cup making its debut this summer, soccer fans from both leagues can experience a World Cup-style tournament that will continue year after year, and it is fitting that Mexico's #1 Tequila brand, Gran Centenario, can be a part of this special milestone."

To celebrate this exciting collaboration and the spirit of the tournament, Gran Centenario has also created the Gran Copa Paloma, an Official Tequila Cocktail of the Leagues Cup.

GRAN COPA PALOMA

2 oz Gran Centenario Reposado Tequila
1.5 oz Pink Grapefruit Soda
1 oz Fresh Lime Juice
.5 oz Agave Syrup
2 dashes Orange Bitters

Preparation:
Combine all ingredients (except the soda) in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain over fresh ice into a rocks glass rimmed with Tajín and top with grapefruit soda. Garnish with a lime wedge.

For more information about Gran Centenario Tequila, please visit www.grancentenario.com or follow on Instagram and Facebook at @grancentenariotequila. Gran Centenario Tequila is for adults 21+. Please enjoy responsibly.

Soccer United Marketing (SUM), the commercial arm of MLS, supported Leagues Cup and tournament organizers in the delivery of this important partnership. 

Ticket Information 
Tickets for all matches are available on LeaguesCup.com and are also available to fans via the hosting MLS club. MLS club season ticket holders should contact their club representative for more information or visit LeaguesCup.com and follow @LeaguesCup on social.

Media Assets 
Click here for Leagues Cup 2023 assets. To watch the Leagues Cup explainer video, click here. 
Click here for Gran Centenario 2023 assets.

ABOUT GRAN CENTENARIO
Gran Centenario Tequila has been carrying Mexican traditions and heritage for centuries. Founded in 1857 by Lazaro Gallardo, the first Tequila Master Distiller in history, Gran Centenario is a family-owned tequila crafted in the highlands of Jalisco, Mexico at Ex Hacienda Los Camichines. The exceptional quality and taste of Gran Centenario Tequilas make them perfectly neat, on the rocks or in any classic or modern tequila cocktail for all the moments in life that call for celebration. The #1 tequila in its home country of Mexico, Gran Centenario has received awards at prestigious industry competitions including Double Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and Platinum at the L.A.Spirits Awards. The brand was also named 2019, 2021 and 2022 "Hot Prospect" by Impact, the leading source for exclusive data on the alcoholic beverage industry in the United States.
Gran Centenario® Tequila. 40% Alc./Vol. (80 proof). Trademarks owned by Becle, S.A.B. de C.V. ©2023 Proximo, Jersey City, NJ. Please drink responsibly.

ABOUT LEAGUES CUP
Leagues Cup represents a monumental new chapter for North American soccer. Beginning in 2023, Major League Soccer and LIGA MX will pause their seasons each summer and all 47 first division professional soccer clubs in the U.S., Mexico and Canada will compete in a World Cup-style tournament, which will qualify the top three finishers to the Concacaf Champions Cup. Leagues Cup 2023 will kick off Friday, July 21 and will feature 77 games hosted at stadiums throughout the U.S. and Canada, with the Final taking place on Saturday, August 19. Fans in over 100 countries* and regions will be able to watch Leagues Cup on MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app, which is available on Apple devices, smart TVs, streaming devices from Roku, Amazon, and Google, game consoles, and the web at tv.apple.com. In addition, TelevisaUnivision, FOX Sports, TSN and RDS will be the linear broadcast home for select Leagues Cup matches in the United States and Canada. 
* This excludes Leagues Cup for viewers in Mexico 

ABOUT SOCCER UNITED MARKETING
Soccer United Marketing (SUM), the commercial arm of Major League Soccer, is the preeminent commercial soccer enterprise in North America, overseeing the commercialization, marketing, promotion, and operational execution of the region's most successful soccer entities. SUM holds the exclusive rights to Major League Soccer, the Mexican National Teams for the U.S. market (MexTour and MexTour W), Leagues Cup, Campeones Cup, Copa Angelina and Concacaf Properties (including Concacaf Gold Cup™, Concacaf Nations League Finals, Concacaf Champions League and Concacaf W). In addition, SUM held the promotional and commercial rights to the highly successful 2016 Copa America Centenario.

ⁱ Source: Nielsen/ISCAM, Total Mexico Tequila, 12 months ended 5/31/22.

SOURCE Gran Centenario Tequila