Brazil Allows Sale of Existing Club Shirts Featuring Betting Brands
Brazil.- 7 October 2026 | www.zonadeazar.com The Brazilian Government has authorised the sale of football club shirts that had already been manufactured with betting-company branding before the ban introduced under Provisional Measure 1.394/2026.
The Presidency’s Social Communication Secretariat, Secom, determined that these items can be treated as “legacy content” and that their sale alone does not constitute a new advertising or sponsorship action.
Sports Industry Request
The clarification followed a request from Ápice, the Brazilian sporting industry and commerce association.
The organisation represents 28 companies in the sector, including Adidas, Nike and Puma.
It specifically asked how the advertising ban would apply to shirts already manufactured and held in stock with betting-operator branding.
Shirts Treated as “Legacy Content”
According to Secom’s interpretation, the presence of a betting company’s brand on a shirt produced before publication of the provisional measure does not automatically amount to a new commercial communication.
Such products are considered content produced before the regulatory change, with betting advertising appearing incidentally as a result of the transition between regulatory frameworks.
Sales Can Continue
Manufacturers, clubs and retailers may therefore continue selling existing stock.
The decision means previously produced shirts do not have to be withdrawn or destroyed solely because they feature the logos of former betting sponsors.
Restrictions on Promotion
The permission comes with clear limits.
The sale of the shirts cannot be used as a mechanism to:
- Promote a betting operator.
- Deliberately increase brand exposure.
- Advertise betting services.
- Launch new marketing campaigns linked to operators.
If the commercialisation of the product is used for those purposes, authorities may assess the activity under the provisions of the new legislation.
No Extension of Sponsorship Deals
Secom also clarified that the interpretation does not extend existing sponsorship contracts.
Nor does it permit new promotional activity or allow clubs to continue placing betting brands on newly produced materials.
The exception applies only to previously manufactured products.
Provisional Measure 1.394/2026
Provisional Measure 1.394/2026 prohibited the operation, offering, intermediation and advertising of fixed-odds betting in Brazil.
The measure also established a transitional period for the removal of existing physical and digital betting advertising.
That period ended on 5 October.
Market Closed From 6 October
From 6 October, fixed-odds betting websites and applications are required to remain unavailable to Brazilian users.
The prohibition brought an end to the regulated market that had begun operating in 2025.
Impact on Football Clubs
Betting sponsorship had become a major commercial component of Brazilian football.
Numerous clubs held agreements with operators and displayed their brands on the front or other areas of official shirts.
The prohibition immediately raised questions over what should happen to thousands of products already manufactured and available at retail.
Avoiding Stock Losses
Secom’s interpretation provides a practical solution for that inventory.
Clubs and manufacturers can continue selling existing products without that activity automatically constituting a breach of the advertising ban.
However, they must carefully separate the sale of the merchandise from any new promotion of the former betting sponsor.
Next Steps or Impact
The clarification resolves one of the most immediate commercial problems created by the betting ban, particularly for clubs, manufacturers and retailers holding large quantities of existing stock.
Even so, the distinction between simply selling an existing product and using that product to promote a betting brand may require case-by-case assessment.
Brazilian football will therefore have to progressively remove betting sponsorship while managing merchandise produced before the regulatory change.
Editó: @fonta
