Renaming forced by FIFA
While Tamaulipas prepares to host high-level sporting events from June 5 to 7 on the Marte R. Gómez Stadium track, other venues in North America are already getting ready for the World Cup. Stadiums hosting matches are removing all traces of their corporate sponsors before the tournament begins next week.
How will the stadiums be renamed? The reason is simple: the sponsors of the venues are not official sponsors of FIFA, and the organization is guaranteed exclusive rights during the tournament, which runs until July 19.
As a result, most of the 16 host stadiums are being renamed with generic city names. For example, AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas – home of the Dallas Cowboys – will be called Dallas Stadium. Workers continued Tuesday to cover the “AT&T” logo on the facade; Work began last week.
In Seattle, black banners were hung to obscure the name “Lumen” at Lumen Field. The Seahawks’ venue is now known as Seattle Stadium. Even the iconic Banorte Stadium in Mexico – the largest soccer stadium in Latin America – was temporarily renamed Mexico City Stadium.
One exception: BC Place in Vancouver, British Columbia. Being owned by the government, it retains its name: BC Place Vancouver.
Other changes include:
- MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey → New York New Jersey Stadium.
- Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California → San Francisco Bay Area Stadium.
Logistics exception
FIFA has allowed the massive Mercedes Benz logo on top of the Atlanta Falcons stadium to stay because removing it could cause structural damage to the retractable roof. However, the large round logos on the sides of the building were covered up in April, and the venue will be called Atlanta Stadium this summer.
