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Some of the World Cup host stadiums are having a bit of an identity crisis—but one is leaning into it.
As part of FIFA’s long-standing sponsorship rules, NFL stadiums hosting World Cup matches have been required to temporarily remove or cover corporate branding that isn’t affiliated with the tournament. That means some of America’s most recognizable venues are going by generic names based solely on their locations (i.e. Gillette Stadium has become Boston Stadium, SoFi Stadium is now Los Angeles Stadium, etc.)
But Levi’s Stadium, home of the San Francisco 49ers, took it to another level.
Rather than pretending the situation wasn’t a little strange, the denim brand decided to have some fun with it. After Levi’s Stadium hosted its first World Cup match on Sunday, June 14, the company shared a Reel on Instagram showing a white tarp over the logo above the scoreboard. The branding may have been technically covered, but the logo’s familiar shape meant the disguise wasn’t fooling many people.
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“Welcoming the world to the beautiful [redacted] stadium!” the brand wrote in an Instagram caption along with some clips of the sign.
The tongue-in-cheek response quickly caught the attention of sports fans online, with many applauding the company for leaning into the absurdity of the situation instead of ignoring it.
“Levi’s 1- FIFA 0,” one person wrote.
“This is like asking to borrow someone’s house for a party, but asking them to leave. WHOSE NAME IS ON THE FIELD,” another stated.
A third suggested, “Should have used denim to cover it up.”
The company went so far as to change its profile picture on the app to reflect the white covering on top of the logo.
“And then I saw the profile photo,” one fan noted, while a second said, “Changing your profile logo is advanced marketing.”
In addition to removing non-FIFA branding, stadium operators have reportedly been asked to install FIFA-approved natural grass playing surfaces and halt other events while the venues are dedicated to tournament use.
While it’s temporary, Levi’s knows how to make lemonade out of lemons.
Related: BuzzBallz Introduces 8 New Limited-Edition Flavors Ahead of the World Cup