FIFA Erases Gambling Sponsors from Names of World Cup Host Stadiums

As the next FIFA World Cup approaches, the soccer governing organization has taken action to remove all sponsors, except existing FIFA sponsors, from the venues set to host the World Cup matches.

With the tournament set to take place across North America, where naming sponsorships are commonplace, this means that several venues’ current names will be temporarily changed to geographic names.

Stadiums to Temporarily Adopt Geographic Names

Per FIFA’s World Cup rules, the logos and branding of all companies not associated with the soccer organization will be erased from the stadiums where the games will take place. In Game reported that this will result in temporary name changes of 10 of the 11 venues that will host the World Cup’s 104 games.

For example, Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, will temporarily be known as Miami Stadium. The AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on the other hand, will be known as Dallas Stadium for the World Cup.

This change from corporate to geographic names reflects FIFA’s zero tolerance for unrelated companies and fervent protection of its own sponsors. However, the organization did agree to make a partial exemption for the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. This was due to the fact that experts determined that altering the oculus moon roof mechanism, which bears the sponsor’s logo, could result in substantial damage. Still, securing the exemption took months of negotiations with FIFA officials.

In any case, FIFA’s policy is sure to affect gaming operators, especially Hard Rock, the name of which will be expunged from the Hard Rock Stadium. To top it all off, changing the name will require temporarily hiding the huge physical Hard Rock sign.

Other operators partnering with the stadiums where the World Cup games will take place will have an easier time removing their logos, especially FanDuel, whose scoreboard position at Lincoln Financial Field is digital.

Operators Still Have a Lot to Gain from World Cup

FIFA’s policy means that US sportsbooks will largely miss out on World Cup-related sponsorship opportunities. While Betano serves as the betting sponsor of the upcoming edition of the World Cup, the company does not operate in the US.

However, FIFA did pen a deal with Stat Perform, selecting it as its official leading data provider and an intermediary for licensed US sportsbooks. The terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Stat Perform suggested that they were harsh.

While operators will miss out on sponsorship opportunities, analysts still predict that the sports betting handle will reach a new record, which means that the World Cup could still be hugely beneficial to gaming companies in the US.

Some believe that bettors would wager twice as much as they did in 2022. For reference, bettors bet $1.8 billion on the previous edition of the tournament.