One of the biggest oddities of the 2026 World Cup from a U.S. fan perspective is the renaming of several recognizable American football venues due to FIFA sponsorship rules.
MetLife Stadium, where the New York Giants and New York Jets play, is now “New York New Jersey Stadium.” AT&T Stadium is now “Dallas Stadium”. SoFi Stadium is now “Los Angeles Stadium.” And Levi’s Stadium, which hosted the Super Bowl just four months ago, is now “San Francisco Bay Area Stadium.”
It’s created awkward scenes, such as taped-up signs across concourses and awkward-looking sheets covering familiar logos.
Not every naming sponsor of those stadiums is taking their FIFA-approved medicine. Levi Strauss & Co., the clothing company behind the iconic Levi’s Jeans brand, has changed the logo of its official Levi’s account to match the covered-up logo at its namesake stadium, and also mockingly welcomed fans to “the beautiful [redacted] stadium” in a social media post showing scenes from Saturday’s Qatar-Switzerland match there.
The ban on non-FIFA-approved corporate partners goes beyond just stadium names and even extends to condiments and credit card machines, as Melanie Anzidei details.
