The 2026 FIFA World Cup is coming to the United States, and for the first time in the tournament’s history, matches are being played across three countries simultaneously. Sixteen host cities. Tens of millions of visitors. Significant economic impact per city.

For business owners, that kind of attention is hard to ignore. Bar and restaurant owners are planning watch parties. Retailers are building promotions around the tournament. Brands of every size are looking for ways to get in on the conversation.

Some of those promotions will create legal problems. What most business owners do not realize (or choose to ignore_ is that the World Cup trademark is federally registered and actively enforced. Here is what you need to know before your marketing goes live.

FIFA Registers Its Marks Aggressively

FIFA does not just own the logo and the trophy. It holds federal trademark registrations for a wide range of phrases and marks associated with the tournament, including “FIFA World Cup,” “World Cup,” “We Are 26,” and event-specific slogans and mascot designs.

That last one surprises a lot of people. The phrase “World Cup” is itself a federally registered trademark. Using it in advertising, on signage, or in promotional materials without authorization can constitute infringement regardless of how the phrase is framed.

Ambush Marketing Is the Target

What FIFA is specifically policing is a practice called ambush marketing, which is any effort by a non-sponsor to create the false impression of an official relationship with the tournament.

You do not have to claim to be an official FIFA partner to run into trouble. Using protected phrases, incorporating trophy imagery, replicating the tournament aesthetic, or running promotions that imply FIFA affiliation can all trigger enforcement action even when no such affiliation exists.

Disclaimers do not fix this. Putting “not affiliated with FIFA” in small print at the bottom of an ad does not eliminate the trademark risk if the overall impression is that your business has some official connection to the event.

What FIFA Can Do About It

FIFA’s legal team runs an active global enforcement program around every World Cup. Businesses that receive enforcement attention can face demands to remove signage, take down social media posts, destroy printed promotional materials, and halt campaigns immediately, often under court order and on short notice.

The costs compound quickly. Reprints, redesigns, destroyed inventory, rush production. Beyond the direct expense, enforcement actions that become public can carry reputational consequences that outlast the tournament itself.

The Safer Path

There is plenty of room to run effective promotions around the World Cup without touching FIFA’s protected marks. Here is a quick reference for safer alternatives:

The businesses that do this well focus on what they are actually selling and let the tournament provide the backdrop rather than the branding.

The Broader Point

For the first time in 32 years, the World Cup is on American soil. Eleven of the sixteen host cities are in the United States, and the economic pull will be felt well beyond those cities. That visibility makes the marketing temptation especially strong and the enforcement risk especially real.

FIFA has the resources, the legal infrastructure, and the motivation to police its marks aggressively. They have done it durying every World Cup and this one will not be any different.

But here is what is worth remembering. The same trademark system that lets FIFA send a cease and desist to a restaurant running a “World Cup Special” is the system that lets you protect your own brand from competitors. A registered trademark gives your business the same kind of exclusivity FIFA is enforcing right now. It works in both directions and the businesses that understand that do not just avoid problems. They build something worth protecting.

If you are planning World Cup promotions and want a quick read on whether your marketing is on the right side of the line, that is exactly the kind of question worth answering now, not after a letter arrives.