Levi’s is taking FIFA’s World Cup rules in stride. Soccer’s global governing body does not allow visible corporate branding at stadiums hosting World Cup games if the company is not an official World Cup sponsor. Because of that, venues across North America have been required to cover up th eir pre-existing logos — and even change their names — for the tournament. Among them is Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, which is going by “San Francisco Bay Area Stadium” for the World Cup. The home of San Francisco 49ers, which just hosted Super Bowl LX in February and is the site of six World Cup matches, covered it’s giant Levi’s logo with a white tarp. But while the name is obscured, the familiar shape of the denim brand’s iconic batwing logo is still recognizable. Apr 16 Get to know the 2026 FIFA World Cup stadiums across the U.S., Canada and Mexico 2026 World Cup Jun 10 How stadiums transformed turf fields to grass for 2026 World Cup Levi’s has used the situation as a marketing opportunity. The company changed its profile picture on its social media handles to mimic the concealed logo at the stadium. “Welcoming the world to the beautiful [redacted] stadium!” it wrote on Instagram after Qatar and Switzerland played in the first World Cup game at the venue on Saturday. The post was overlayed with the popular “How will they know” TikTok audio. FIFA maintains that stadiums need to wipe away all pre-existing branding for the tournament to “protect its brands and the exclusive rights of its sponsors.” There is one exception to the rule, however. Mercedes-Benz Stadium, branded as “Atlanta Stadium” for the World Cup, got to keep the Mercedes-Benz logo on its retractable roof due to complications that would come from covering it up, The Athletic reported. This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser. ...read more read less