Top of Mind Thursday – July 2, 2026: Scoring Big at the World Cup

FIFA World Cup fever has hit North America hard.

Not only are sports arenas full of screaming fans cheering for the full array of competitors, but we’re seeing reports of international fans clearly enjoying themselves while taking in American culture—from extra large pizzas to shopping at Costco or Walmart.

As is typical with these types of events, sponsors pay megabucks to promote the event on their products. For weeks now, cans of Coke products and containers of Chobani yogurt have sported World Cup logos. Fans are collecting stickers and trading cards, while sales of related memorabilia are through the roof.

But some of the biggest beneficiaries of all this may be three large American consumer brands who have not chosen to pay for FIFA sponsorships.

The sports venues formerly known as Levi’s, Heinz, and Gillette are being identified by their locations, not their names—as none of those brands are official FIFA sponsors. However, while the brands are following the letter of the law by covering up their huge venue graphics, they’ve each found a way to shine through.

In San Francisco Bay Area Stadium in Santa Clara, formerly known as Levi’s, there’s a thin white sheet covering the Levi’s logo, which clearly shows the logo through the covering. After being forced to cover condiments at event venues with black “redaction” marks, Heinz released a FIFA-friendly ketchup logo just for the competition.

But Gillette scored the knock out goal after being forced to cover over 64,000 seats at its Foxboro, MA stadium with blue tape. They made the covering on their giant signage on the stadium wall look like shaving cream.

Final Score: US Mega Brands 3, FIFA rules 0.

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