Corona and Stella Artois giant Anheuser-Busch InBev has said it is “well positioned” to capitalise on events such as this summer’s Fifa World Cup as it announced a first-quarter boost from its beer brands. The Belgium-based group, the world’s biggest brewer, announced an unexpected return to growth in sales by volume in the first three months of 2026, up 0.8%, driven by a 1.2% jump for beer brands. It posted underlying profits of 1.92 billion US dollars (£1.41 billion), up from 1.61 billion dollars (£1.18 billion) a year ago. The group said beer sales by volume reached a record high across Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, South Africa and Peru. Its shares surged nearly 7% on the Euronext Brussels. Michel Doukeris, chief executive of AB InBev , said: “ Cheers to beer – the strength of the category and the consistent execution of our consumer-centric strategy drove continued momentum across our footprint.…