• by Danielle Oster , 2 hours ago

Pepsi is bringing back an expanded “Pepsi Challenge” for 2026.

Pepsi’s 2025 revival of “The Pepsi Challenge,” which originally debuted in 1975, pitted Pepsi Zero Sugar against Coke Zero Sugar, with Pepsi claiming the results showed that its zero-sugar cola was the “unequivocally preferred choice among zero-sugar drinkers across the country,” and that the campaign reached over one million consumers.

For 2026, “The Pepsi Challenge” will include Pepsi Wild Cherry Zero Sugar across select stops in its expanded national tour, pitting the flavor against Coke Cherry Zero Sugar, as well as providing additional consumer tasting opportunities (as yet unspecified).

Pepsi brought back “The Pepsi Challenge” with a Super Bowl Weekend activation in New Orleans February, followed by a series of in-person events across the country -- including coming to Atlanta for “National Have a Coke Day” on May 8. According to Pepsi, the brand achieved a “consumer preference rate exceeding 60% across the US” with the taste test, and defeated its rival across all its national tour locations.

In a release announcing the expanded 2026 version of “The Pepsi Challenge,” the brand pointed to sales momentum for the brand’s zero sugar variety as well. Pepsi Zero Sugar achieved over 30.8% year-to-date sales growth in 2025, nearly double the overall zero- sugar cola category’s growth over the same time frame.

“This momentum proves that when stripped of brand bias, people choose the better-tasting cola. Building on that energy, we’re taking the Challenge to new heights in 2026 with more stops, and more product with the inclusion of our delicious Pepsi Zero Sugar Wild Cherry, which is quickly becoming a fan favorite among cola drinkers,” Pepsi Vice President of Marketing Gustavo Reyna said in a statement.

The expanded “Pepsi Challenge” reflects a wider focus on the zero sugar variety of its flagship brand, as well as the importance of flavors.

“Flavors, especially Wild Cherry & Cream, [as well as] some others, are bringing new consumers to the brand, younger consumers to the brand, and that is positive news for the development of Pepsi," PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta said during a Q3 earnings call.

The news comes on the heels of a limited Black Friday online launch for Pepsi Prebiotic Cola, which the brand says sold out across Amazon, Walmart, and TikTok Shop in under 30 hours. It’s unclear how much of the product was made available through the launch, which arrives ahead of a broader 2026 retail rollout. Pepsi didn’t respond to a request for comment on the scope of the launch.