Here\u2019s what we found:<\/p>\n
Words like ‘World Cup’ off limits<\/p>\n
Unless a commercial establishment is a licensed partner, using words like \u201cFIFA\u201d and \u201cWorld Cup\u201d in marketing isn’t allowed, according to FIFA\u2019s guidelines. Using certain trademarked images, like the official World Cup trophy, is also off-limits.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It may seem like a lot, but many high-profile sporting events engage in such practices out of commitment to their partners, said Cheri Bradish, a sports marketing professor at Toronto Metropolitan University, who also runs its Future of Sport Lab.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey [FIFA] work very hard to control the marketplace \u2026 because they need to protect the integrity, in theory, of those partners that have paid millions of dollars to be associated with the World Cup and FIFA as a brand,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1779008906_448_default.jpg\")
FIFA’s strict trademark rules are not uncommon for high-profile sporting events that only happen every two to four years, according to Cheri Bradish, a sports marketing professor at Toronto Metropolitan University. (Evan Mitsui\/CBC)<\/p>\n
Some of FIFA\u2019s official partners include Coca-Cola, The Home Depot and Adidas.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
In its guidelines, FIFA says businesses and the public can still celebrate the tournament by sticking to \u201cgeneric football or country-related images\u201d and terms.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Special rules around stadiums<\/p>\n
Toronto will host six FIFA matches at Toronto stadium, a venue that was temporarily renamed because of \u2014 take a guess \u2014 branding rules.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The first game will be Canada versus Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 12. On match days and days leading up to a match, there are stricter rules in place.\u00a0<\/p>\n
FIFA\u2019s website says the city must establish \u201cclean zones\u201d around stadiums and FIFA Fan Fest locations that \u201crestrict the commercial activities of unauthorized businesses.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
That means any promotional material for brands that could compete with FIFA or its partners would be prohibited.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For example, if you\u2019re a tour guide looking to bring a group to the game, you cannot visibly identify yourself with something like a wooden sign or shirt bearing your company logo at the stadium, according to the guidelines.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Or if you\u2019re Burger King, you can\u2019t advertise within the clean zone because McDonald\u2019s is an official FIFA sponsor.<\/p>\n
WATCH | TTC’s plans for World Cup commutes:![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1778975351_37_default.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Visiting Toronto for the FIFA World Cup? Here’s how the TTC will help you get around<\/p>\n
The TTC is preparing for the influx of visitors for the FIFA World Cup, with plans to deploy at least 600 ambassadors to help fans get around Toronto. CBC’s Lane Harrison breaks down what we know about ‘Team TTC.’<\/p>\n
At Toronto stadium, there will be a clean zone that spans a two-kilometre radius, according to the city\u2019s addendum. For Fan Fest, it\u2019s 100 metres.<\/p>\n
In an emailed statement, Sharon Bollenbach, the city\u2019s executive director of the FIFA World Cup, said Toronto will use a mixture of educational outreach and bylaw enforcement to protect FIFA\u2019s intellectual property.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are helping local businesses understand the rules and encouraging them to follow them,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDuring the event, the City will increase bylaw enforcement in key areas, including near Exhibition Place, Liberty Village, and within 100 metres of the FIFA Fan Festival at Fort York and The Bentway.\u201d<\/p>\n
WATCH | Toronto prepares for the World Cup:![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1779008908_47_default.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Toronto prepares with 100 days until FIFA World Cup <\/p>\n
From adding 17,000 seats to BMO Field to updating the city\u2019s traffic management plan, major preparations are underway in Toronto with just 100 days to go until the FIFA World CupToronto businesses finding workarounds\u00a0<\/p>\n
Given all the copyright rules in place, some Toronto establishments are getting creative with their plans to draw visitors in.\u00a0<\/p>\n
George Diamantouros, the manager of Sneaky Dee’s, a local dive bar, said it\u2019s been a barrier trying to figure out how to attract visitors to the bar for games without using any World Cup language.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople know to come [to the bar], but we have to make sure that they know we will be showing the games,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI understand what they\u2019re trying to protect, but at the same time, how much of a bite is the little guy going to take out of a multinational conglomerate that virtually owns the rights to everything?\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Diamantouros said the bar was prepared for this, however, given its scuffle with Rogers last year over their World Series signage.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDefinitely our interaction with Rogers and what happened with the Jays last year during the World Series informed what we\u2019re doing now,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Diamantouros said the bar’s tournament content “will basically explain to everybody exactly what we\u2019re doing and what we\u2019re showing without saying the words FIFA and World Cup.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1779008909_29_default.jpg\")
George Diamantouros, the manager of Sneaky Dees, says the bar had to get creative with how it showcasse excitement around the FIFA World Cup, without breaking any copyright rules. (Mehrdad Nazarahari\/CBC News)<\/p>\n
For Rocco Mastrangelo Jr., co-owner of the longstanding Italian restaurant Cafe Diplomatico, FIFA compliance meant partnering up with official sponsors that also supply the restaurant, like Coca-Cola and the Labatt Brewing Company.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause we are partners with them \u2026 we are allowed to co-ordinate with them to use that logo,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a little bit overwhelming, especially for small independent business owners, but [the] FIFA World Cup is a mega, international worldwide tournament,” he said. “A lot of the sponsors that support FIFA are also investing a lot of money so they have to protect their investments.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With tens of thousands of footy fans expected to descend onto the city for the World Cup, the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":675214,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194291],"tags":[49,48,3302],"class_list":["post-675213","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-toronto","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-toronto"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/675213","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=675213"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/675213\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/675214"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=675213"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=675213"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=675213"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}