Asahi and the Women’s Rugby World Cup Final: from Pitch to Pub.

From the pubs to Twickenham: bringing Asahi’s Women’s Rugby World Cup sponsorship to life across the on-trade and the final stage.

The Challenge:

Following the success of the Pub Pledge, a nationwide movement uniting 1,190 pubs to screen the Women’s Rugby World Cup, Asahi wanted to build on that momentum for the tournament’s finale.

Our brief was to take Asahi’s sponsorship to the next level, creating a powerful brand presence at the Women’s Rugby World Cup Final at the Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, while connecting it back to and supporting the on-trade. We wanted to build and maximise visibility at the stadium, whilst amplifying the energy from pubs across the UK, driving participation, and celebrating this landmark moment for women’s sport.

Our Insight:

The Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 Final was a true cultural milestone. For the first time, Twickenham would host the women’s final in front of a sold-out crowd, marking a defining moment for women’s rugby and its fast-growing fan base.

Yet Asahi faced a challenge: with no pouring rights or product sampling allowed inside or around the stadium, traditional brand activation was off the table. The opportunity instead lay in creating chemistry and emotional connection between the fans, the sport, and Asahi’s Modern Japan brand world, by turning this final into an experience that extended beyond the stadium and flowed directly into the pubs. 

The Execution:

We designed a bold, culturally charged activation that brought Modern Japan to Twickenham, and brought Twickenham straight into the pub. 

At the heart of the fan village, we created an immersive Asahi Pachinko arcade, housed in a sleek, air-clad structure inspired by Japanese design and precision. The experience invited fans to compete in a high-energy social game, tapping into the growing trend of competitive socialising. Every win unlocked rewards, from limited-edition merchandise to pints at local pubs that had backed the Pub Pledge.

The game became a bridge, a physical and emotional connection between the stadium and the on-trade. Fans left the fan zone and flowed directly into iconic local venues, including The Turk’s Head, Asahi’s flagship pub for finals night, where the celebration continued with DJs, Piing rugby games, bespoke merchandise, and, of course, Asahi Super Dry on tap. 

The final itself became a nationwide celebration, with 1,190 pubs across the UK screening the match and creating the largest in-pub audience in the history of women’s rugby.

The Results:

The activation became one of the defining moments of the tournament. At the Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, the Pachinko arcade attracted queues from kick-off to the final whistle, creating energy, shareable content, and a new kind of fan engagement that perfectly captured Asahi’s Modern Japan spirit.

Off the pitch, pubs across the country were packed, with the Pub Pledge reaching record participation and national media coverage. At The Turk’s Head, the party lasted long into the night, a living, breathing proof of Asahi’s ambition to make women’s rugby part of pub culture for the long term.

Why It Matters:

The Women’s Rugby World Cup Final activation marked a shift from sponsorship to participation, showing how a global beer brand can drive real cultural change through the on-trade. 

By uniting fans in pubs, in the fan village, and across the nation, Asahi Super Dry turned its partnership into a movement. It delivered on its brand promise: Rugby like never before.