England star Kobbie Mainoo had to follow a strict FIFA rule before the match, which also affected another player.
Kobbie Mainoo hasn’t played yet in the World Cup, but the England midfielder has had to follow a strict rule from FIFA.
Mainoo made it into Thomas Tuchel’s 26-man squad for the tournament in North America after a strong finish to the season with Manchester United. However, he’s still waiting for his World Cup debut, as he hasn’t played in any of the three group games so far.
He was on the bench during England’s 2-0 win over Panama, where Declan Rice missed out due to injury. Instead, Morgan Rogers started, and Jude Bellingham played alongside Elliot Anderson. Jordan Henderson came on late in the game, but Mainoo didn’t get a chance to play.
Mainoo has been seen with the team during pre-match ceremonies and celebrations after games. Fans have noticed him walking onto the pitch before matches, wearing his Beats headphones. But if you look closely, you’ll see he had to tape over the Beats logo.
Just like Germany’s Jamal Musiala, Mainoo covered up the logo in line with FIFA’s strict “clean site” rules. These rules mean stadiums must hide branding and even change their names during match days. Companies like Heinz and Beats turned this into a fun chance to get attention on social media by showing their covered-up logos.
Back in 2014, Sony was FIFA’s official partner, so Beats headphones were basically banned. Though many players wear different headphones, Apple’s don’t have big visible logos. Some players still wear Beats without covering the logo, but Mainoo and Musiala have been asked to make sure theirs are hidden.
This is interesting because Mainoo became a Beats brand ambassador in May 2025. The 21-year-old often shows off different Beats products and recently posted a photo with the caption “#BeatsPartner.”
Other stars like Lamine Yamal and Lionel Messi have been in Beats campaigns, but they haven’t been pictured wearing the headphones before matches.
England will play again on Wednesday against DR Congo in the round of 32 in Atlanta. If they win, they might face Mexico in Mexico City in an exciting last-16 game.