Friday, June 5, 2026

Los Angeles Olympics Will be First to Sell Venue Naming Rights

The decision breaks with a longstanding policy that venues be stripped of their corporate names to protect the event’s major sponsors. 

Sofi Stadium
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

In a break from tradition, the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics will sell naming rights for event venues.

LA28, the planning committee for the Games, announced Thursday that it had deals with Comcast and Honda to name the venues for squash and volleyball, respectively.

“These groundbreaking partnerships with Comcast and Honda, along with additional partners to come, will not only generate critical revenue for LA28 but will introduce a new commercial model to benefit the entire Movement,” LA28 chief Casey Wasserman said in a release.

LA28 has touted itself as being a fully privately funded Olympics with no new infrastructure needed. Wasserman said in the release that the International Olympic Committee’s decision to allow the committee to sell naming rights will bring in revenue to cover costs. LA28 is expecting to bring in $2 billion in sponsorship revenue by the end of the year, according to a source familiar with the committee’s finances. 

The committee said that it will only offer naming rights to the existing corporate sponsors. So if it can’t strike a deal with Intuit for the basketball arena, for example, it will remain officially unnamed during the Games. The Olympics will be held from July 14–30, 2028, while the Paralympics will be from August 15–27. 

The names of permanent venues, including Crypto.com Arena (boxing and gymnastics), and BMO Stadium (lacrosse and flag football) are up for sale, as well as 19 temporary venues. 

SoFi Stadium and the Coliseum will jointly host the opening ceremony. The Coliseum will solely host the closing ceremony. 

The Olympics and Paralympics had operated under a “clean venue” policy for years, as the IOC wanted to protect the interests of its existing sponsors.

FIFA and UEFA have similar policies for their major events like the World Cup and Champions League, leading to generic names for their stadiums in major tournaments. For example, MetLife Stadium in New Jersey will be known as “New York New Jersey Stadium” during the 2026 men’s World Cup.

In February 2024, FIFA said it would continue with the tradition for generic stadium names next summer. FIFA did not respond to a request for comment on if it was considering selling temporary naming rights after the Olympics reversed course. 

For the Olympics, the longstanding “clean venue” rule is now a “clean field policy” that will prevent sponsorship logos from appearing on the court or field—at least for now. 

Representatives for Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, which owns and operates SoFi Stadium, did not respond to a request for comment. 

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Sign up for
The Memo Newsletter

Get the biggest stories and best analysis on the business of sports delivered to your inbox twice every weekday and twice on weekends.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

What’s Harder Than Biking 10,000 Miles? Buying World Cup Tickets

Three fans biked from Argentina to Kansas City, but don’t have tickets.

Trump Administration: World Cup Is ‘Behind’ on Drone Security

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said counter-drone measures are “a little behind.”
FIFA 2026 World Cup signage is displayed at MetLife Stadium, May 7, 2026, East Rutherford, NJ, USA.

New York, New Jersey Subpoena FIFA Records Over World Cup Ticket Prices

New York and New Jersey AGs are investigating FIFA’s ticketing process.

Featured Today

Ai sports slop

How Sports Became Ground Zero for AI Slop

The category is the perfect breeding ground for AI content churn.
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup - UEFA Qualifiers - Group A - Germany v Luxembourg - Rhein-Neckar-Arena, Sinsheim, Germany - October 10, 2025 Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann
June 4, 2026

‘Weird Corners of the World’: How to Find a World Cup Coach

National associations look for a winning record—and also hope for serendipity.
June 3, 2026

The Elite High Schools Hosting World Cup Teams

Spain, Morocco, Croatia, and Switzerland chose schools as their tournament base camps.
Frances Cabral-Delaney
May 29, 2026

How Arsenal Fandom Went ‘Manic’

“People do not become Arsenal fans because it’s easy,” says Zohran Mamdani.

Bears Taking New $5B Stadium Plans Across State Line to Indiana

The decision arrived just four days after political inaction by Illinois leaders.
June 1, 2026

Indiana’s Bears Stadium Bid Gets More Real After Illinois Misses Chance

Recriminations rise as Illinois leaders fail to ratify a Bears stadium bill.
June 3, 2026

Stars Arena Move Deepens Downtown Dallas Sports Exodus

Both the Stars and Mavericks are seeking to build new arenas.
Sponsored

Landon Donovan: What Soccer in America Still Needs

Landon Donovan discusses the evolution of soccer in America and investing in the NWSL.
June 1, 2026

Illinois’ Last-Minute Push for $5B Bears Stadium Runs Out of Time

The state Senate approved a dramatically reworked stadium bill.
May 31, 2026

Bears $5B Domed Stadium Plan Hits Make-or-Break Day in Illinois

Political negotiations are going down to the final hours in Illinois.
Apr 6, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh (29) walks to the on deck circle during the game against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field
May 28, 2026

Why Ballparks Are Louder Than Ever

Some stadiums sound like veritable nightclubs. How did we get here?
May 27, 2026

Bucs Stadium Push Could Complicate Rays Ballpark Deal

The neighboring MLB and NFL teams might battle for the same tax funds.