The 2026 Fifa World Cup is already shaping up to be the most commercially significant sporting event in history, with tens of billions in revenue expected across the tournament.
The global sports industry represents potentially trillions of dollars in earnings, meaning the stakes for businesses seeking to capitalise on the action have never been higher.
Much of the predicted revenue will far exceed the value generated simply from ticket sales, transport, and food purchased at stadiums across the host nations.
The gap between total event value and tangible spending can largely be attributed to the intellectual property sitting behind the tournament itself.
IP value is sometimes straightforward to identify, such as when an official replica kit commands a significantly higher price than an unbranded equivalent garment.
Control over broadcast access channels audience attention toward official television partners, generating quantifiable advertising revenue at key moments such as half-time intervals.
Even the tickets themselves serve as gateways to something intangible, the atmosphere, the experience, and the memory of watching a match live.
Ben Travers, Partner and Head of IP at law firm Foot Anstey, notes that businesses with no official affiliation will still look to exploit the tournament through subtle or overt allusions to the event.
Restaurants and retailers across the country are already rolling out World Cup-inspired menus and promotions despite holding no official connection to Fifa or the competition.
Rights holders are widely expected to enforce their IP protections more aggressively during periods of squeezed consumer spending, ensuring no commercial value escapes their control.
Ambush marketing remains a concern at scale, though event organisers have become increasingly sophisticated at identifying and neutralising such campaigns before they gain traction.
While large-scale ambush incidents may be unlikely, a significant volume of smaller IP infringements is considered almost inevitable throughout the tournament period.
Travers warns that there is a fine line between following a commercial trend and infringing IP, and businesses are likely to repeatedly cross that line during the coming weeks.
Infringing assets can include colour schemes, brand names, or other elements that cause consumers to associate an unofficial business with the tournament or its official sponsors.
Recent developments, including sports personalities such as Cole Palmer and Luke Littler registering their own brands, have raised awareness of IP protection beyond clubs and sponsors.
Athletes are increasingly recognised as brands in their own right, with IP registration unlocking long-term revenue through sponsorship deals, video game likenesses, and commercial partnerships.
The World Cup is likely to accelerate the trend of athletes taking greater control of their brand as a business asset, well beyond their active playing careers.
As Travers concludes, the tournament will “accelerate and hold a lens to this trend of increased recognition in the value of IP and all that comes with it.”