Your FIFA World Cup 2026™ playbook
With $3.8 billion in projected economic activity in Canada alone, the FIFA World Cup 2026™ is a rare chance for businesses to step into a global spotlight. But are they ready to navigate the legal rules and reputational risks that come with the world’s biggest stage?
The first tri-nation FIFA World Cup™, the tournament in 2026 will see heightened enforcement of ambush marketing rules, promotional claims, and unauthorized brand use across North America. For businesses operating in or entering Canada, navigating the country’s distinct legal and regulatory frameworks, spanning from advertising and ticketing requirements to broadcast rights and privacy restrictions, will be essential, as will ensuring contracts and permits are secured on time and to required standards. Achieving a seamless and secure presence at the tournament will require understanding key variables in play and having the ability to dynamically react as needed.
Your priorities for 2026
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Protect your brand when the world is watching
Toronto and Vancouver will implement two-kilometer brand-exclusive clean zones around their stadiums, with municipal bylaw officers and FIFA-approved agents enforcing restrictions on the use of protected marks. Despite such measures, counterfeit goods, unauthorized digital campaigns, and misuse of protected marks will rise throughout the tournament. Securing and enforcing your rights- as an official sponsor or a non-associated brand- early will determine how effectively your brand is protected.
Engage Canadian audiences with confidence
An expanded 48-team tournament will bring international brands into the Canadian market, many for the first time. Because Canada’s rules for sponsorship rights, advertising claims, contests and bilingual marketing differ from the U.S. and Mexico, global brands will need to tailor their consumer-facing programs to meet local requirements as either Canada-only campaigns or as part of a coordinated cross-border strategy.
Deliver compliant operations on the ground
The operational demands are different for official suppliers, contractors, and local businesses supporting visitor and fan activity. Executing contracts, procurement processes and local permitting to required standards will be essential to avoiding employment issues, supplier disputes, communications challenges, or other crisis-related risks. Being ready to respond—and litigate if needed—protects business continuity throughout the tournament.
Safeguard your footprint during the tournament
Ticketing and resale restrictions, border protocols, public viewing rules, and music rights will shape how you run events around the World Cup, host guests and move groups on the ground. You’ll also need to manage venue access rules, crowd-facing safety obligations, and on-site technology or broadcasting limitations that apply during events. Getting these pieces in place early will help you deliver a seamless brand presence throughout the tournament.
Sideline Conversations
As the world prepares for the FIFA World Cup 2026, Sideline Conversations takes you beyond the pitch to explore the legal and commercial issues shaping the tournament.
Join Aarij S. Wasti (Gowling WLG, Toronto), Marlon Hill (WSHC+B, Miami), and Juan Carlos Partida (EC Rubio, Mexico City) as they cover the stories impacting the first-ever tri-nation FIFA World Cup™.
Let’s talk about protecting and activating your business at the World Cup
With high-level experience from the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, the various Olympic and Paralympic Games, and the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, our team delivers unique insight into brand protection, rights management, sponsorship activation, advertising compliance, industry standard contracts, required permits, employment law, communications/PR, privacy law, and crisis response as well as dispute resolution in the context of mega events.
Blending market-leading expertise in sports and entertainment law, advertising law, and brand protection, we give you a 360-degree perspective on how to operate, promote, and protect your interests when the spotlight is brightest.
