Winning off the pitch: Branding at the FIFA WORLD CUP

More than five billion people engaged with the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and the 2026 tournament is tracking to attract an even larger audience.[1] With this level of attention, the World Cup is one of the most powerful branding platforms in the world.

While the world’s largest sporting stage continues to provide us with moments of heartbreak and triumph on the pitch, it has also generated a number of interesting branding stories off the pitch. Together, they remind us of the importance of branding.

The Levi’s Stadium

Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) has corporate branding rules that mean all participating stadiums must remove branding unrelated to their official sponsors during the tournament.

For example, the Gillete® Stadium in Massachusetts has become the ‘Boston Stadium’ and the AT&T Stadium has been known as the ‘Dallas Stadium’.

The award for the most creative brand name redaction must go to the Levi’s Stadium. The resulting media storm clearly demonstrates the enormous amount of goodwill that Levi’s has built up in the non-verbal elements of its brand. 

To comply with FIFA’s rules, Levi’s covered their signature brand with a white tarpaulin in such a way as to draw attention to the outline of the sign, which is the instantly recognisable shape of their Arcuate Stitch logo. LEVI STRAUSS & CO. has held a US trade mark registration for its mark, protecting garments including pants and shoes, since 1980 (US Serial number 73176009).

Sneaky, or marketing genius?

Tim Payne’s social media sensation

New Zealand’s right back Tim Payne had under 5,000 Instagram followers at the start of May 2026. However, an Argentinian influencer’s quest to find the FIFA WORLD CUP’s least famous player and show support to an underdog has resulted in Tim Payne’s Instagram following exploding to over 5.8 million followers (on 1 July 2026). Despite an early tournament exit for the New Zealand All Whites, the momentum has shown no sign of stopping for Tim Payne, who has signed a contract with Paraguay’s Club Olimpia and will get a taste of South American continental football during the next club season.

However, as with many success stories, some individuals appear to be attempting to capitalise on the social media sensation for their own gain. In early June 2026, six Argentinean trade mark applications for TIM PAYNE were filed in the name of three different owners, none of whom appear to be related to Mr Payne. Under Argentinean law, as in many other countries, unless he consents expressly to these trade mark applications, they are unlikely to proceed any further.

Six months ago, these trade marks might have been accepted, with “Tim Payne” potentially considered an arbitrary or even a made-up name. Today, however, it would be difficult for anyone in Argentina to claim they are unaware that Tim Payne is a real person.

In today’s media landscape, where publicity can quickly attract opportunistic filings and other forms of exploitation, it is a timely reminder to secure protection early wherever possible, before third parties seek to capitalise on your success.

FIFA WORLD CUP as a protected term

FIFA itself is no stranger to protecting intellectual property rights, holding over 600 registrations worldwide containing the FIFA WORLD CUP term. In part, these registrations allow FIFA to prevent third parties from using the term in instances of ambush marketing.

Ambush marketing itself involves leveraging the reputation of a widely known event for your own financial gain, like running the “FIFA WORLD CUP HAPPY HOUR” during a game to entice customers to stop by for a drink and catch a game. To make things crystal clear, FIFA has published intellectual property guidelines relating to the World Cup, which in part provide guidance on ‘how to celebrate without creating an unauthorised association’.

While this type of trade mark enforcement can seem heavy-handed, it allows FIFA to prevent their trade marks becoming devalorised (see our article on genericism), and maintains FIFA’s ability to market the FIFA World Cup and affiliated products as worth tuning into or buying.

If you’re doing something you think is worth protecting, reach out to one of our experts at AJ Park and we can assist you in your brand protection journey.