England's Football Association has agreed a new sponsorship deal with Budweiser for the FA Cup, reports sportspromedia.com.

The American beer brand served as the lead partner of the world's oldest soccer competition for three years until the end of last season, but will now become its official beer until 2018.

As well as enjoying branding rights in venues and for its packaging, Budweiser will continue the Budweiser Futures scheme that has so far seen it spend contribute around £1 million to non-league soccer.

No other financial terms were released. The FA has not yet found a replacement lead sponsor for the tournament.

This year's FA Cup is nearing its end with the in-form Liverpool the favourites to take the silverware, followed closely by Arsenal.

Nick Robinson, the UK marketing director for Budweiser owner AB InBev, said: "Budweiser was proud and excited to sponsor the world's oldest and most famous domestic cup competition and had three fantastic seasons doing so.

"Such was the success of the partnership in reaching our fans and those sharing a passion for the beautiful game, we wanted to continue to celebrate and extend Budweiser's relationship with the FA Cup through this deal." FA commercial director Stuart Turner added: "This is fantastic news for the FA Cup. We are delighted to be continuing our relationship with Budweiser with a new package of rights tailored to their business needs.

"After three successful years as lead partner for the competition, their continued commitment is testament to the global appeal of the cup and its ability to engage with fans around the world."