FIFA forced to break own rules for 2026 World Cup as they hand exemption to ‘unique’ stadium

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is just around the corner.

But the football governing body have been forced to break their own rules ahead of what is expected to be a summer tournament for the ages.

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In June, the 48-team tournament will take place across three countries – the United States, Mexico and Canada – and 16 stadiums will host matches – 11 in the USA, three in Mexico and two in Canada.

However, one stadium has struggled to adhere to FIFA‘s branding guidelines heading into the World Cup.

Prior to the tournament, FIFA revealed a strict list of demands pertaining to the various stadiums’ branding in order to protect their competition sponsors.

They have stated that all the venues must hide such branding on their stadiums, including lettering and logos on stadium roofs, while they have also administered the temporary name changes to the 16 hosts.

For example, the AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas will simply be known as the Dallas Stadium and Met Life Stadium, where the World Cup Final will be held on July 19, has been renamed to New York New Jersey Stadium.

But after more than a year of negotiations, and with some stadiums still having yet to find a solution over how they will conceal branded sections of their stadiums, one host venue has secured an expected way out.

Mercedes-Benz Stadium handed ‘unique’ exemption

Mercedes-Benz Stadium – home to NFL franchise Atlanta Falcons and MLS outfit Atlanta United FC – is set to be known as the Atlanta Stadium but will be allowed to keep its star Mercedes logo on its roof, according to a report from The Athletic.

“FIFA, in a statement from a spokesperson, said it would “not comment on specific arrangements relating to individual stadiums,” The Athletic’s Henry Bushnell wrote on Tuesday.

“In general, though, it said: “FIFA is working closely with stadium authorities and host cities to implement (brand protection) requirements in a manner consistent with previous editions of the tournament, while taking into account the unique infrastructure and operational considerations at each venue.”

The roof, where the huge Mercedes-Benz star sits is retractable and is made up of eight pieces known as “petals”, each weighing 500 tons and stretches 220 feet long.

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Stadium operators were granted an exemption after they revealed that they couldn’t find a way to cover the branding without risking significant damage to its infrastructure.

In general, major sports stadiums across the United States are often more commercialized than the rest of the world.

But de-branding stadiums in their entirety has very rarely – if ever – happened.

During FIFA’s Club World Cup in 2025, where English Premier League giants Chelsea claimed victory over Ligue 1 outfit Paris Saint-Germain, host venues didn’t have to go to such extreme lengths.

This was because the tournament’s stadium use was governed by standard rental agreements, and not one for an international World Cup.

Per the 100-page long contract with FIFA, The Athletic reported that stadiums agreed to “the requirement that there shall be no advertising, marketing, promotion, merchandising, licensing, signage or other commercial identification of any kind on any stands, scoreboards, seats, seatbacks, time clocks, staff uniforms, Accreditation passes, fences or elsewhere inside, surrounding, or in the airspace above and around the Stadium other than that which is installed by, or at the direction of, FIFA or which is approved in writing by FIFA.”

These regulations were something that reportedly kept Adam Fullerton, the stadium’s vice president of operations “up all night.”

“It’s not just on the roof,” Fullerton added of the Mercedes logos back in early 2025, as they conflict with FIFA’s mobility partners Hyundai and Kia.

“It’s on all the facades of the stadium, too. And they’re not small. They’re large. By design.”

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