2027 Women's World Cup Poised to Transform Brazilian Women's Football Amid New Marketing Rights Protections

Brazil is preparing for a landmark moment in its sporting history with the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup, anticipated to be transformative for women's football across the country. Formiga, a former Brazilian national team player and current Director of Football Policies and Promotion of Women's Football at the Ministry of Sports, highlighted the event's potential to significantly advance recognition and support for women in football. She underscored the progress made since her generation, which endured substantial challenges in visibility and support, but insisted that much remains to be done to honor the contributions of women not only as athletes but in all roles within the sport. Speaking at the Trophy Tour event in Brasília, Formiga expressed hope that the tournament would leave a lasting legacy for future generations and inspire increased backing for women's football. She also shared her dream of celebrating a World Cup victory on Brazilian soil.

Concurrently, Brazil has enacted the Medida Provisória nº 1.335/2026 to safeguard FIFA's intellectual property and marketing rights for the event. This provisional measure imposes new protections specifically designed for the 2027 tournament, aiming to secure FIFA's commercial interests, including exclusive control over event data that affects areas such as sports betting. However, the broad and vague definitions of 'marketing rights' and restrictions on media access to match highlights have triggered concern among stakeholders over possible overreach and limitations on timely reporting. The MP also establishes commercial restriction zones around competition venues and allows automatic recognition of trademarks associated with the event, potentially diluting established standards. While intended to secure the event's success, critics question the lack of public debate and the adequacy of issuing such a targeted measure less than three years after the General Sports Law.

Together, these developments reveal Brazil’s dual challenge: maximizing the Women's World Cup's positive impact on the advancement of women's football while carefully balancing regulatory protections with openness and media freedom. As the nation readies itself to host this premier global tournament, the eyes of players, fans, and rights holders will remain focused on how these elements unfold.