If you’ve been watching the FIFA World Cup, you’ve probably seen a lot of ads—but not the ones you might expect.
Regular viewers of games at Levi’s Stadium, for example, may be surprised to learn that their familiar turf has temporarily lost its Levi’s branding. Game attendees have also noticed that condiment dispensers have been covered with tape and that employees don’t seem to be allowed to wear branded clothing.
Now, a user on TikTok has shared one of the strangest examples of this branding removal, and it has users asking, “What’s really going on here?”
What’s The Deal With This Chick-fil-A Bag?
In a video with over 152,000 views, TikTok user Mason Powell (@hcgsports) observes something strange while ordering Chick-fil-A at a FIFA World Cup match.
“Wanna see one of the funniest brand things ever?” he starts.
He then presents a plain white bag.
“So, they’re serving Chick-fil-A at the World Cup, but they’re not allowed to show the logo,” he shares. After opening the bag, it’s clear that it contains one of Chick-fil-A’s signature sandwiches. “Literally—same products and everything.”
Why Is This Happening?
As with other branding removal practices at FIFA World Cup games, this is likely due to FIFA’s “clean stadium” policy.
As previously explained by Jeroen van den Berk, a member of FIFA’s communications team, it is standard FIFA policy to host games in a “clean stadium.” This means a stadium that is free of branding and advertising that could compete with FIFA sponsors.
Case in point, the TikToker was filming in Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium—now simply called Atlanta Stadium for the World Cup. While the stadium is still allowed to serve Chick-fil-A meals, Chick-fil-A is not a sponsor of the World Cup. In fact, the only “Official Restaurant Sponsor of the World Cup” is a competitor to Chick-fil-A, McDonald’s.
For this sponsorship, FIFA offers McDonald’s significant advertising and naming rights over certain aspects of the games. In FIFA’s view, these aspects would be cheapened if a competitor were able to advertise by selling their branded items in the stadium.
Commenters Say They’ve Gone Too Far
In the comments section, many users were sympathetic to FIFA’s argument. Still, some claimed that these aggressive unbranding practices crossed a line into silliness.
“FIFA needs to get over themselves,” wrote a user.
“One thing i learned this world cup and thats the fact that FIFA is a nightmare,” added another.
Others countered that they actually liked the unbranded approach.
“I wish we’d have more of this after the World Cup. I’m tired of every empty space on a building or product being used as a billboard with ad space,” stated a commenter.
Finally, some speculated that the removal of branding may actually bring more attention to a brand. A notable example of this is Levi’s. The brand has turned the removal of its branding from the “San Francisco Bay Area Stadium” into a worldwide marketing campaign.
“‘No Branding’ is selling and getting recognized even more,” declared a TikToker in the comments section. “Complete backfire. Companies are using this to their advantage. I think there is a new saying. These companies have been ‘FIFAed.’”
@hcgsports Justice for chic! #chicfila #worldcup2026 #worldcup #worldcup2026🏆 #soccertiktok
BroBible reached out to Chick-fil-A, Powell, and FIFA via email.