04.06.2026
Every four years, die-hard football (or should we say soccer this time round?) fans try to contain their excitement as soon as The Fédération Internationale de Football Association “FIFA®” starts to release information on the next FIFA World Cup™. Whilst some argue that four years is a long time to wait, it is undoubtedly clear that planning and organising the world’s largest sporting event requires huge amounts of resources, strategic marketing, and careful intellectual property (IP) licensing. The blood-pulsating final of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ between Argentina and France was watched by over 1.5 billion people around the world, all tuning-in from different continents across different time-zones and through different mediums, captivatingly watching (any many hoping) that Messi gets to finally lift the famous golden cup – well deserved in all respects! In this article, we delve into some of the interesting and thrilling IP behind the beautiful game and highlight how FIFA® treats the FIFA World Cup™ tournament brand as a major commercial asset.
Eyes on the Prize
The unique physical design of the golden trophy, which was created by Italian sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga in 1971 and which features two human figures holding up the Earth, is protected as a registered industrial design as well as an artistic piece of work under copyright law. This means that manufacturing replicas or similarly shaped trophies without explicit permission from FIFA®, who owns all IP to the trophy, is treated as counterfeit material and will no doubt get you red-carded. The visual representation of the trophy is also protected under trademark law in jurisdictions worldwide, meaning, that images, graphics and drawings of the trophy printed on commercial merchandise, such as hats or t-shirts, requires an official license from FIFA®.
Mark my Words
FIFA® also holds various IP rights on several words or phrases by virtue of wordmarks such as FIFA World Cup™; World Cup®; FIFA®; FIFA World Cup 26™; and COPA MUNDIAL™, to name just a few. It has also officially registered the Typeface font “FWC 26” which was specifically created for the 2026 edition of the Tournament and is protected by design registration in various jurisdictions and is also protected by copyright. An interesting and important legal consideration in this year’s edition of the World Cup® is the principle of territoriality when it comes to seeking IP protection. IP is territorial in nature meaning that one only obtains protection over a specific logo or design in the specific territory where the logo or design is sought to be registered. Given that this year’s edition will be hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States, it was vital to ensure that all material being registered for IP protection was registered with the correct authorities in order to avoid situations where one material is protected in one territory but not protected in another.
A Sticky (Licensing) Situation
Furthermore, another widely participated in activity that fans globally engage in ahead of the Tournament’s start is the collection and completion of the official FIFA World Cup™ Sticker Album. A curious and somewhat disappointing episode which occurred in the 2022 edition of the Tournament showcases the importance of proper IP licensing. To create the sticker album, one would essentially require a Master License covering the Tournament IP (which belongs to FIFA®) as well as the specific Team and Player IP, such as image rights and team kits, which are normally
owned by individual football federations (such as Brazil’s CBF) and collective player unions (such as the FIFPRO). Whilst FIFA® owned the Master Licence in 2022, rival giants Topps, purchased several Team and Player IP. This resulted in various licensing gaps across the album where several kits (like those of England and Germany) could not be featured in the Panini album. At the time, Panini exclusively held the Tournament IP, which was licensed from FIFA®, but not the Team and Player IP, which remained with Topps following exclusive deals with national federations. As a result, Panini could not prepare a fully licensed and complete album resulting in several kits and crests not being featured in the album and with some player’s headshots being generically added to blank t-shirts.
Fast-forward to 2026, fans can rest easy knowing that this year’s album licensing situation is fully rectified with Panini being granted an all-encompassing contract with FIFA® until 2030 (including the 2030 World Cup®). From 2031, and after holding the license for 56 years, all licensing rights in relation to the album will be granted to Topps (Fanatics) which will then have the exclusive right to produce the official FIFA Sticker Album. If one thing is clear, navigating the somewhat increasing complexities behind major licensing agreements requires a strong legal IP analysis, which one might daresay, is sometimes potentially even more complex than trying to explain the offside rule to a non-football fan.
The All Seeing Eye-Ball
Moving now on the pitch, what is perhaps one of the most interesting IP marvels of this year’s Tournament is the official match ball, named the Adidas Trionda. Whilst this year’s football might look like an ordinary football, it is essentially a highly advanced tracking device which continues to build on the technology of the 2022 Adidas Al Rihla match ball. Alongside its tech partner Kinexon, Adidas managed to satisfy the patentability requirements for an invention – these being novelty, non-obviousness and industrial application capability – and now holds several patents over the match ball ranging from the very specific way the Trionda is manufactured, to its specialised wireless charging (which means that each ball will now need to be fully charged prior to each match, retaining an approximate six hours of charge) and the complex mechanics and location of the ball’s internal sensor to ensure proper balance and weight uniformity. Without delving too much into the tech-side of things, the Trionda contains a 14 gram, 500Hz IMU motion sensor chip that is capable of tracking acceleration, spatial positioning, and even spin, and transfers such data to the VAR rooms in the blink of an eye, ensuring that VAR officials remain aware of the faintest handball or offside. What seems to be certain is that this technology, together with the already heavily used and patented VAR technology, will certainly ensure no repetition of Maradona’s Hand of God episode that occurred in the 1986 World Cup® in Mexico – England fans, rejoice!
Pitch Perfect
Lastly, and probably one of the most important catalysts to promote the FIFA World Cup™ tournament brand and which helps to create the unique atmosphere that football fanatics have come to term “World Cup Fever”, is the official music behind the Tournament. What Mariah Carey is to Christmas, Shakira has become to the World Cup®. Back in the 2006 Germany World Cup®, whilst not being the official anthem of the Tournament, her famous “Hips Don’t Lie” (Bamboo Remix) was performed during the closing ceremony in Berlin just before the Italy vs France final kick-off, which remains one of the core World Cup memories many of us football fans still cherish. Perhaps most famously, Shakira’s “Waka Waka (This Time For Africa), which was used in the 2010 South Africa World Cup®, has become synonymous not only with the World Cup® but with the beautiful game in general. Vibrant rhythms and instruments (no one can really forget the vuvuzela – which actually ignited a fierce trademark battle between more than 40 different entities at the time, who ultimately all lost out due to the term gaining so much popularity that it became an everyday generic term, which IP lawyers call “genericide”) captured the very essence of African culture which certainly elevated the entire atmosphere of the Tournament, captivating viewers to essentially watch all two to three games in a single day for almost an entire month – guilty as charged. Interestingly, whilst Shakira owns several trademarks to her name and her personal brand, Sony Music (more specifically Epic Records, which is Shakira’s label) was officially contracted by FIFA® to produce the official music album for the Tournament. Therefore, whilst Sony Music owns the Master Copy and the Audio IP for “Waka Waka”, when it comes to the words “Waka Waka” themselves, FIFA® is the registered IP holder by virtue of several internationally registered trademarks. In the 2014 World Cup®, Shakira’s “La La La (Brazil 2014)” was also an official track included in FIFA®’s official tournament album, once again enriching the Tournament’s overall brand and get up. This year, and after a twelve-year gap, Shakira (teaming up with Burna Boy) returns with this year’s just released official anthem “Dai Dai” ensuring optimal hype and anticipation towards the days to come. By securing her fourth official World Cup® track, Shakira cements herself and her brand synonymously with FIFA®’s musical intellectual property. Needless to say, and similar to the other iterations of the World Cup®, the Tournament relies on carefully coordinated international collaborations, involving complex copyright splits and licensing to ensure that every Spotify stream or TikTok clip fully respects the copyrighted material as well as the split royalty agreements between the artists’ record label and the publishing entities.
The Final Whistle
What has become clear throughout the various editions of The World Cup® is that together with the dazzling Nike and Adidas football kits and cleats and the vibrant national waving flags (pun intended) that have come to adorn the international stage, a plethora of interesting IP exists on and off the pitch. Careful marketing, and specifically drafted brand licensing agreements play a crucial part to safeguard the rights of all those involved behind the scenes helping to put up the football spectacle that we have all come to enjoy and love. Whilst we now patiently wait for kick-off, let us utilise this time to stock up on our favourite beer!
Found this interesting? Our IP advisor, Dr. Clint Meli Sciberras, is available to answer your IP questions.
Dr. Clint Meli Sciberras is a Senior Associate at Dingli & Dingli Law Firm and heads the Firm’s IP department.