In the buildup to the 2026 World Cup, several NFL stadiums have been dealing with a peculiar headache: multi-hundred-foot rooftop logos that, by FIFA mandate, must not be visible during the tournament.
Soccer’s global governing body requires all World Cup venues to scrub themselves of pre-existing branding. It does this, it says, to “protect its brands and the exclusive rights of its sponsors.”
And it has extended the requirement to skyward-facing logos or lettering on stadium roofs, the type that is only visible from airplanes or overhead camera angles.
So, for months, stadium operators have been in talks with FIFA and third parties searching for solutions. With fewer than 100 days until kickoff, some of the 11 NFL venues set to host World Cup games still don’t know exactly how they’ll cover or conceal the rooftop branding, according to multiple people briefed on their plans.
And one, Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, came to an uncomfortable conclusion this winter: it couldn’t figure out a way to cover the massive Mercedes-Benz star on its eight-piece retractable roof without risking significant damage.
So, after roughly 18 months of discussions, FIFA agreed to let the stadium leave its roof as is, according to multiple people briefed on the situation.
FIFA, in a statement from a spokesperson, said it would “not comment on specific arrangements relating to individual stadiums.”
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.”
U.S. stadiums are generally more commercialized than sporting arenas elsewhere around the world. And to a degree, they are accustomed to “de-branding” for special events, such as College Football Playoff games. When outside entities rent NFL stadiums, some sponsor logos and displays are turned over to the renter for temporary, event-specific branding, especially inside the building.
But the stadiums rarely, if ever, have to ditch their sponsored names, like they will this summer. Mercedes-Benz Stadium will be “Atlanta Stadium.” MetLife Stadium will be “New York New Jersey Stadium.” Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., will be “San Francisco Bay Area Stadium,” according to FIFA.
And they rarely, if ever, have been forced to conceal branding on their roofs.
The Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta during last summer’s Club World Cup. (Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)
They didn’t have to at last summer’s Club World Cup, when stadium use was governed by standard rental agreements. But for the international World Cup, each stadium signed a near-100-page contract with FIFA late last decade.
In clause 6.4.ii of those contracts, a few of which have been obtained via public records requests, the 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.”
That was the challenge Mercedes-Benz Stadium officials confronted years ago. Adam Fullerton, the stadium’s vice-president of operations, said in early 2025 that he was confident in his team’s ability to cover all indoor signage, and in its extensive plan to install a grass pitch in place of artificial turf; but the roof, he said, was “what is keeping me up at night.”
“And it’s not just on the roof,” he said of the Mercedes logos, which represent a clear conflict with FIFA’s “official 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.”
FIFA, he acknowledged, had the “clean-site principle in the contract,” but then he added with a smile: “There’s been a healthy debate on exactly what ‘clean site’ means.”
He said that he and the stadium were “trying to come up with a good idea for how to actually mask those (logos) but still leave the building looking presentable and fun.
“So, I’ve really pushed back on FIFA and said, ‘OK, help us. What are you gonna brand our venue as? Help us come up with a branding package.’”
SoFi Stadium outside Los Angeles will host the USMNT’s first 2026 World Cup match. (Patrick T. Fallon / AFP / Getty Images)
Similar processes were ongoing at other World Cup stadiums. SoFi Stadium’s SVP of facilities, Otto Benedict, said at the time that he and his team were “documenting and identifying” all signage that would need to be dealt with. “That goes back to FIFA,” he said. “And then we’ll wait for their confirmation on the things that they want to see. And then we’ll go put together a plan.”
Despite the SoFi branding on the stadium’s roof, Benedict didn’t sound too concerned. But “in talking to my counterparts (at other stadiums),” he noted, “they’re a little overwhelmed in what they have to do.”
Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium, Seattle’s Lumen Field, Dallas’ AT&T Stadium, Houston’s NRG Stadium and Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field also have skyward-facing branding.
The Hard Rock logos in Miami and the “LUMEN FIELD” lettering in Seattle — which stretches approximately the length of a football field — are on either side of partial roofs.
The “nrg stadium” branding in Houston is on the “eyelids” of a retractable roof, meaning it’s always visible from above.
The “Lincoln Financial Field” branding in Philadelphia is next to solar panels on thin lips that cover the uppermost seats in the top deck.
In Arlington, Texas, at the home of the Dallas Cowboys, there are two large AT&T logos on either end of a retractable roof and “AT&T STADIUM” plastered on both sides.
Spokespeople and others familiar with the planning at multiple stadiums told The Athletic this month that they do have to cover the rooftop branding. But they could not say how, exactly, that would be done.
Seattle’s Lumen Field has branding on both sides of its roof. (Steph Chambers / Getty Images)
Lumen Field’s general manager, Zach Hensley, told the Puget Sound Business Journal in November that figuring out a solution for the roof was the hardest part of the de-branding process, and would be done professionally rather than with something like a tarp.
It was most difficult, though, in Atlanta, which is scheduled to host eight games, including a semifinal.
The rooftop star at Mercedes-Benz Stadium is patterned onto eight interlocking and movable panels, each weighing 500 tons and stretching 220 feet long. The “petals,” as they’re known, close to form a multi-acre roof “inspired by the oculus in the ancient Roman Pantheon.”
The panels are part-ETFE, a “malleable plastic material that’s inflated with air,” Fullerton explained in January. “So, those pillows present a bit of a challenge. … We’ve gotta go up on those pillows and actually cover up the emblem and make that disappear.”
At the time, he indicated that the “leading plan” was a “vinyl graphic, and a pretty interesting lay-down method” to cover the emblem. But stadium representatives cautioned that the plan wasn’t finalized.
‘We’ve had a lot of long conversations with our manufacturers and installers of the roof system,” Fullerton said, “… and (with) our signage vendor that we’ve engaged to help us with a lot of this work.”
Less than two months later, those conversations led to the agreement with FIFA that the emblem won’t have to be covered after all.
FIFA, when asked why, did not explain. Mercedes-Benz Stadium spokespeople also declined to comment. But multiple sources told The Athletic that the primary reason for the exception was the risk of damage to the roof, which could cost millions of dollars to repair.
One also pointed out that the Mercedes logo — unlike those on other stadium roofs — is not visible when the roof is open.
For the World Cup, though, like for NFL and MLS games, stadiums with retractable roofs have been planning to keep them closed for the duration of the tournament, allowing them to maintain a climate-controlled environment for fans, players and grass. Fullerton confirmed in January that this was Mercedes-Benz Stadium’s plan. “We do not intend on opening the roof,” he said. It’s unclear if FIFA would consider changing that plan for branding reasons.
Earlier in the talks with several stadiums, digital solutions were also discussed. The thinking was that broadcast production teams could use technology, such as computer-generated imagery, to scrub logos virtually for viewers around the world. A FIFA spokesperson told Sports Business Journal last summer that the technology wasn’t advanced enough to guarantee full coverage in aerial shots of stadiums, but it presumably remains an option.
Broadcasters could also be forced to avoid aerial shots of Mercedes-Benz Stadium. It’s unclear what the eventual solution will be.