In preparation for the 2026 World Cup, several NFL stadiums have faced a peculiar headache: logos on the roof that cannot be visible during the tournament, as determined by FIFA.
FIFA, world football’s highest governing body, requires all World Cup venues to eliminate existing brands. According to the entity, this aims to “protect its brands and the exclusive rights of its sponsors”.
And the requirement was extended to skyward logos or inscriptions on stadium roofs, those visible only from airplanes or aerial cameras.
For months, stadium operators have been in negotiations with FIFA and third parties looking for solutions. With less than 100 days until kickoff, some of the 11 NFL stadiums that will host World Cup matches still don’t know exactly how they will cover or hide ceiling markings, according to several people familiar with the plans.
And one of them, Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, came to an uncomfortable conclusion this winter: It couldn’t find a way to cover the massive Mercedes-Benz star in its eight-piece retractable roof without risking significant damage.
So, after approximately 18 months of discussions, FIFA agreed to let the stadium keep its roof as is, according to several people familiar with the situation.
FIFA, in a statement, said it “would not comment on specific arrangements relating to individual stadiums”.
In general, however, it said: “FIFA is working closely with stadium authorities and host cities to implement the requirements in a manner consistent with previous editions of the tournament, taking into account the unique infrastructure and operational considerations of each venue.”
American stadiums are generally more commercialized than sports arenas in other parts of the world. And, to some extent, they are accustomed to “debranding” for special events like College Football Playoff games. When outside entities lease NFL stadiums, some sponsor logos and displays are given to the lessee for temporary, event-specific branding, especially inside the building.
But stadiums rarely, if ever, need to drop their sponsored names, as they will this summer. Mercedes-Benz Stadium will be called Atlanta Stadium. MetLife Stadium will be New York New Jersey Stadium. Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, will be San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, according to FIFA.
And they were rarely, if ever, forced to hide marks on their ceilings.
They didn’t need to do that at last summer’s Club World Cup, when stadium use was governed by standard rental agreements. But for the World Cup, each stadium signed a nearly 100-page contract with FIFA at the end of the last decade.
In Clause 6.4.ii of these contracts, some of which were obtained through public records access 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 bleachers, scoreboards, seats, seat backs, clocks, employee uniforms, credentials, fences or anywhere else in, around or in the airspace above and around the stadium, other than that installed by the FIFA, or under its direction, or which is approved in writing by FIFA.”
That was the challenge Mercedes-Benz Stadium officials faced 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 natural turf in place of synthetic turf; but the ceiling, he said, was “what’s 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 every facade of the stadium too. And they’re not small. They’re big. By design.”
FIFA, he acknowledged, had the “clean venue principle in the contract”, but then added with a smile: “There has been a healthy debate about what exactly clean venue means.”
He said he and the stadium were trying to come up with an idea of how to mask those logos but still make the building look presentable and fun.
“So I really put pressure on FIFA and said: ‘OK, help us. How are you going to identify our headquarters? Help us create a visual identity package’.”
Similar processes were underway at other World Cup stadiums. Otto Benedict, vice president of facilities at SoFi Stadium, said at the time that he and his team were documenting and identifying all signage that would need to be addressed. “This goes to FIFA,” he said. “And then we’ll wait for them to confirm what they want to see. And then we’ll put together a plan.”
Despite the SoFi branding on the stadium’s roof, Benedict didn’t seem too concerned. But “talking to my colleagues,” he noted, “they’re a little overwhelmed with 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 markings.
The Hard Rock logos in Miami and the letters in Seattle — which stretch roughly the length of a football field — are on either side of partial ceilings.
The mark in Houston is on the so-called eyelids of a retractable roof, which means it is always visible from above.
The Philadelphia brand sits next to solar panels on thin edges that cover the highest seats on the upper deck.
In Arlington, Texas, at the home of the Dallas Cowboys, there are two large AT&T logos on each end of a retractable roof and “AT&T Stadium” emblazoned on both sides.
Officials and others familiar with the planning at several stadiums said this month that they need to cover the ceiling markings. But they could not say how, exactly, this would be done.
Lumen Field General Manager Zach Hensley told the Puget Sound Business Journal in November that figuring out a solution for the roof was the most difficult part of the tag removal process, and it would be done professionally, not with something like a tarp.
It was tougher, though, in Atlanta, which is scheduled to host eight games, including a semifinal.
The star on the roof of the Mercedes-Benz Stadium is emblazoned on eight interconnected and movable panels, each weighing 500 tons and measuring 67 meters. The petals, as they are called, close to form a multi-acre roof “inspired by the oculus of the ancient Roman Pantheon.”
The panels are a “malleable plastic material inflated with air,” Fullerton explained in January. “So these pads present a bit of a challenge. We have to get up on these pads and actually cover the emblem and make it disappear.”
At the time, he indicated that the main plan was a “vinyl graphic and a pretty interesting application method” to cover the emblem. But stadium representatives warned that the plan was not finalized.
“We had a lot of long conversations with our roof system manufacturers and installers,” Fullerton said, “and our sign supplier who we hired to help us with a lot of this work.”
Less than two months later, these conversations led to the agreement with FIFA that the emblem would not need to be covered after all.
FIFA, when asked about the reason, did not explain. Representatives from the Mercedes-Benz Stadium also declined to comment. But multiple sources said the main reason for the exception was the risk of damage to the roof, which could cost millions of dollars to repair.
At the start of conversations with several stadiums, digital solutions were also discussed. The idea was that broadcast production teams could use technology, such as computer-generated imagery, to virtually erase logos for viewers around the world. A FIFA representative told Sports Business Journal last summer that the technology was not advanced enough to guarantee full coverage in aerial shots of stadiums, but presumably it remains an option.
Transmitters could also be required to avoid aerial shots of Mercedes-Benz Stadium. It is unclear what the final solution will be.
