World Cup debrands mega stadiums

It’s the first day of the World Cup, and in addition to sporting fresh new grass fields and extra tall beer cans, 11 stadiums across the US have scrubbed thousands of normal sponsors from their grounds. This expensive “debranding” stems from FIFA’s requirement that stadiums be wiped clean to protect the organization’s multimillion-dollar marketing deals with companies like Coca-Cola and Adidas.

Through July 19, Seattle’s Lumen Field will don covers over the Lumen logo on everything from the stadium exterior to smaller interior logos. One Lumen marketing exec even drew more attention to the company by creating social media content showing him covering up all the logos in the stadium.

• SoFi Stadium will be “Los Angeles Stadium” this summer (and then again in 2028 for the Olympics).
• The process has been a bit of a nightmare for older stadiums like the 71,000-seat Mercedes-Benz Atlanta Stadium, which has a retractable roof and required 2,000+ removals and coverups.
• NRG Stadium in Houston budgeted over $1 million to meet the debranding requirements, according to Sports Business Journal.

Big picture: FIFA has deployed a “no free press” strategy, as the organization is set to reap roughly $2.8 billion in marketing rights in the current four-year cycle, the bulk of which will come from matches taking place on everyone’s phone screens during their commute over the next few weeks.

Here’s a World Cup viewing guide with info on where and how to watch matches. —MM