We recommend that you not use FIFA's logos, official emblem, trophy, slogans, or trademarked hashtags, and that you not arrange your promotion so a customer would reasonably think FIFA sponsors or endorses you: under Section 43(a) of the Lanham Act, a use likely to cause confusion about FIFA's sponsorship or approval creates liability.
That single distinction, between a truthful reference and an implied sponsorship, is the central question for host-city businesses. The 2026 tournament was played across U.S., Canadian, and Mexican cities, with the final on July 19, 2026, and the worry is real: a cease-and-desist letter, or a locked social account, can land on a small business that thought it was just having fun with a hashtag.
The short version: U.S. law draws the line at uses likely to cause confusion about FIFA's affiliation, sponsorship, or approval. The rest of this article shows what FIFA actually owns, where U.S. law draws the line, and what to do if a demand letter or platform takedown shows up. This is general risk education for businesses, not advice about your specific promotion.
What FIFA actually owns, and what it doesn't
FIFA runs one of the most aggressive brand-protection programs in sport, and that program is built on real trademark rights. According to FIFA's Brand Protection materials and its official IP Guidelines, FIFA treats the official emblem, the FIFA WORLD CUP wordmarks, the official slogan, the trophy, host-city marks, and a list of related word marks as protected. The Guidelines also say two things businesses tend to miss: the list is not exhaustive, and the document does not decide whether any particular activity infringes.
Here is the part the headlines get wrong. FIFA does not own the everyday words "World Cup" for every purpose. FIFA holds a live U.S. registration for the standalone words WORLD CUP covering goods and services in ten active classes, apparel such as shirts, T-shirts, caps, and hats; bags such as sport bags, backpacks, and tote bags; jewelry; sport balls; soft drinks and beer; credit-card services; and television broadcasting among them. Four classes, including cosmetics and certain foods and services, have since been cancelled under Section 8. Under 15 U.S.C. § 1114(1), the registrant can sue over use in commerce of a reproduction, copy, or colorable imitation of the registered mark in connection with goods or services where that use is likely to cause confusion. It is not ownership of the everyday words for every use, and whether any particular use is an infringement or a permissible reference depends on the facts.
The newer mark tells the same story. FIFA's WORLD CUP 2026 application covers services in Classes 35, 41, and 43, including advertising services through sponsorship, organization of football competitions, and rental of VIP lounges inside and outside stadiums, and it was registered on August 4, 2026 (Reg. No. 8,380,580). So the accurate picture is not "FIFA owns World Cup." It is "FIFA owns a live WORLD CUP registration for specific goods and services in ten classes, plus a 2026 registration for specific event-related services." That is a narrower, and more useful, starting point than the myth.
What U.S. law lets your business say about the World Cup
In New Kids on the Block v. News America Publishing, the Ninth Circuit held that where a defendant uses a trademark to describe the plaintiff's product rather than its own, a commercial user is entitled to a nominative fair use defense if it meets three requirements: the product or service must be one not readily identifiable without use of the trademark; only so much of the mark may be used as is reasonably necessary to identify the product or service; and the user must do nothing that would, in conjunction with the mark, suggest sponsorship or endorsement by the trademark holder. Under Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. v. Tabari, 610 F.3d 1171, 1182 (9th Cir. 2010), a defendant asserting nominative fair use need only show that it used the mark to refer to the trademark holder's product or service; the burden then reverts to the plaintiff to show a likelihood of confusion.
The line businesses cross: implied sponsorship
The legal hook FIFA actually reaches for is implied sponsorship. Under Section 43(a) of the Lanham Act, it is a problem to use a word, symbol, or representation that is likely to confuse customers about whether your business is affiliated with, connected to, sponsored by, or approved by FIFA. For famous marks, FIFA can also reach for dilution under Section 43(c), which does not even require proving confusion.
We recommend keeping references truthful and generic, keeping FIFA's protected marks out of your commercial materials, and not letting your promotion imply a sponsorship you do not have.
Where FIFA's leverage comes from in the United States
In the United States, FIFA relies on the tools described next.
FIFA's leverage comes from four places. First, ordinary trademark and unfair-competition law, the Section 43(a) and Section 43(c) hooks above. Second, contract: ticket terms, venue agreements, and host-city arrangements bind the people who sign them. Third, platform takedowns, where FIFA reports a post or account and the platform acts on its own terms of service. Fourth, local Clean Zone ordinances, covered next.
That combination is why FIFA's enforcement can reach a small business quickly: the practical pressure, a platform restriction or a demand letter, can arrive before any court is involved. FIFA's program is an extreme version of what every serious trademark and brand-protection owner does: monitor, report, and escalate.
The host-city layer: Clean Zones
There is a local layer on top of the federal one. Clean Zones, sometimes called Event Zones, are temporary, city-specific commercial-use rules for defined areas near event venues. They are created by local ordinance, city by city, not by FIFA.
Take the Los Angeles area, where matches were played at SoFi Stadium in the City of Inglewood. The City of Inglewood adopted Ordinance No. 26-04, designating an Event Zone for the 2026 FIFA World Cup that was in effect from June 12 to July 10, 2026. Section 3 of the ordinance prohibited, within that zone, outdoor commercial signs and advertising displays visible from any public street, except signs with a valid permit issued under the Inglewood Municipal Code, and prohibited mobile advertising, except that buses, taxicabs, and other delivery vehicles displaying advertising as a secondary use in the ordinary course of business could travel within the zone to pick up and drop off passengers and goods. The sale or distribution of merchandise that violates state or federal law, including counterfeit merchandise, could result in suspension or revocation of a city permit and prosecution under applicable state or federal law. This was adopted law, not a proposal.
Miami-area matches were played at Hard Rock Stadium in the City of Miami Gardens, which publishes its rules in its municipal code. The point is that this is a patchwork, not a single national rule, so if your business sits in a host city, we recommend checking your own city's ordinance directly, because what one city enacts says nothing about another.
A do/don't checklist before you post or print
This is general risk guidance, not a verdict on any specific campaign. With that boundary, here is the practical shape.
We recommend:
- State facts about the event: "we're open during the World Cup," "watch the match here," "the tournament is in town."
- Use the plain, generic words truthfully, without FIFA's emblem, trophy, or stylized logos.
- Promote your own goods and services on their own merits, without leaning on FIFA's marks.
We recommend avoiding:
- Using the official emblem, the trophy, the official slogan, the FIFA WORLD CUP logos, or trademarked hashtags in ads, merchandise, or promotions.
- Running "World Cup" sweepstakes, giveaways, or contests that read as official.
- Selling event-branded merchandise.
- Arranging anything so a customer would think you are an official FIFA sponsor or partner.
One jurisdiction note. This article addresses U.S. trademark law. The tournament was also hosted in Canadian and Mexican cities, where different national laws apply. If your business is in a Canadian or Mexican host city, the do/don't shape above is a starting frame, and we recommend getting advice from counsel in your own country before relying on it.
If FIFA, or a platform, comes after you
Pressure usually arrives in one of two forms. A platform locks or restricts your account after a report, or a demand letter shows up. Neither is a court ruling, and neither should be ignored.
If a demand letter arrives, do not respond reflexively and do not assume the sender's position is the last word. Preserve the letter and your promotional records, get your actual risk assessed, and respond strategically. Options can range from adjusting the promotion to a negotiated resolution. StarGuard Law handles this through trademark enforcement and cease-and-desist work and cease-and-desist response and defense.
If a platform locks your account, that is its own process. The Fort Worth brewery owner who said he was unable to post on his business's Facebook account for about a month, as the Fort Worth Report described, is the version of this risk that hits a small business hardest, because the account is the storefront. Reinstating a restricted business account is a defined path, and StarGuard Law works on platform account reinstatement and appeals.
The best moment to get a read is before you launch, not after the letter lands. If you are a host-city small business planning a World Cup promotion, a short trademark-strategy conversation prices your risk while you can still adjust the campaign cheaply. If instead you are protecting your own brand rather than referencing FIFA's, the guide How to Trademark Your Brand covers search, filing, and clearance. For a related look at what happens when two marks collide, see When a Rebrand Becomes a Trademark Lawsuit.
We recommend keeping references truthful, keeping FIFA's marks out of your promotions, and getting a read before you build the campaign. That's the bottom line.
This article is for general information only — not legal advice.
