The Verdict: Fifa World Cup 2026 identity can’t find its rhythm

About the work

Five months on from perhaps the most iconic final in the history of the World Cup, which saw Argentina crowned champions following a tense penalty shootout victory over France in Doha, Fifa revealed its World Cup 26 official brand at a star-studded launch show in Los Angeles on 17 May 2023.

Fifa president Gianni Infantino unveiled the new emblem – the first ever to include an actual image of the Fifa World Cup trophy – with the help of Brazilian football legend Ronaldo. Attendees at the Griffith Observatory, high up in the Hollywood Hills, also witnessed the launch of its ‘WE ARE 26’ campaign.

Infantino said at the time, “WE ARE 26 is a rallying cry. It’s a moment when three countries and an entire continent collectively say: ‘We are united as one to welcome the world and deliver the biggest, best and most inclusive Fifa World Cup ever.’”

The Adidas Trionda official match ball, official tournament poster and three mascots – Maple the Moose (Canada), Zayu the Jaguar (Mexico) and Clutch the Bald Eagle (US) – are examples of bold colours and national imagery being used to ensure all three host nations are adequately represented. Elsewhere, homage is paid to the 16 host cities in the form of posters that showcase their unique cultural and artistic spirit.

At the launch event, Infantino added, “The tournament will enable each host country and participating team to write their own page in the history books of Fifa World Cups, and this unique brand is a major step on that road to 2026.”

Joe Baptiste, group account director, Mr B & Friends
Kate Gorringe, executive creative director, Mr B & Friends

Each World Cup is a unique moment of inclusion, excitement and unity, which branding plays an important role in fuelling. While former World Cup branding has typically leant into the aesthetic of the host country's culture, leading to single-minded, iconic identities, the biggest challenge of this brief will undoubtedly have been representing three distinct and increasingly divided countries equally.

Where this has been achieved successfully is the match ball, mascot and official posters. Celebrating people, place and communities. Where it begins to fracture is as you step back to the overarching identity.

Fifa describes the '26' logo as “a vessel for self-expression,” a sentiment which carries through to its ‘WEARE26’ campaign. But this simply signals the absence of a singular, unifying idea. More ‘you tell us’ than ‘here’s our vision.’ The branding equivalent of a shrug. Resulting in a lack of emotional resonance in a sport defined by passion.

As for the logo itself, while the lettering will please any craft hungry graphic designers, it fails to harness the most recognisable symbol in world football, the World Cup trophy, with any impact. Defaulting instead to a simple cut and paste or cutout. No interpretation, no stylisation, no new meaning.

A World Cup brand has one simple job: get people fired up. On that measure, it's a draw at best.

Eduardo Palma, design director, Sibling Rivalry

At first glance, it’s easy to discard the WC26 identity as one more example of the contemporary slick design trend that has taken over football. However, in the context of the World Cup, it is more of a break from the dimensional design of the tournaments from 2002 to 2022, and, in its simplest expression, seems connected with classic modernist World Cup designs like West Germany 74. In this sense, it feels aware of the event’s legacy. The logo is very impactful, and having the photograph of the actual trophy is a bold move. The logos of the three past editions of the tournament were based on the object as well, but as illustrated reinterpretations of the trophy they failed to capture the gravitas of the cup. Here the trophy becomes more iconic and timeless than ever.

While the logo is reverential to its legacy, it’s in the system’s applications that the identity feels alive and very contemporary. Yes, it’s true that the approach of the 26 icon as a vessel for graphics is not groundbreaking in the brand world, but it is fresh for football, and makes WC26 into a living brand that can express itself in surprising ways. This device is a clever way of putting cultural diversity and community at the core, since this is a unique World Cup: the first with three host nations, and the largest roster of participating countries ever. (Whether these values are represented by Fifa’s ethically questionable practices is a whole different story, but that’s not the purpose of this space.)

It’s striking how colourful and expressive the design is, and how the visuals can flex to speak to the host countries, the cities, the nations and the fans. It showcases the World Cup as a global party, rather than just the most important football tournament. It all makes for an adaptable system that feels inviting, celebratory and BIG, living up to the energy of the biggest event in the world.

Teemu Suviala, global chief creative officer, Landor

Fifa doesn't have a great design legacy. Compared to the Olympics, its identities have been often forgettable in idea and poor in craft. And after the controversies of Qatar 2022 and losing its connection to EA Sports (though I still call it Fifa when I play with my kids) the organisation needs more than a new coat of paint on an old car. A rebrand only works if the institution is truly renewing too.

That said, the 2026 emblem is its strongest yet. The simplicity is welcome. The trophy, the central piece of the new identity, is Fifa's most sacred brand asset, so its use makes sense. But right now, it's a bit too on the nose – just slapped in there, not liberated to its full potential. I could easily see a bolder, more inventive, playful and interactive life for it in future World Cups.

My bigger concern: the 2026 design approach follows past trends rather than setting new ones. It's a missed opportunity for such a big and beautiful cultural moment. The pulsing We Are 26 graphics promised an energetic and interesting system of behaviours, but as mascots, artist partnerships and city-level layers pile on, a single unifying narrative and emotion could easily get lost.

Football is full of amazing comeback stories. I'm hoping Fifa shows up on the pitch in June in full form, with all its potential bravery and originality – and some new tricks up its sleeve.

Tom Love, co-founder and creative director, LoveGunn

The World Cup 2026 brand raises some genuinely interesting questions about identity at scale.

Dropping "World Cup" from the wordmark for the first time in three decades is a bold call, and not necessarily the right one. Leading with "Fifa" and "26" creates a mark that could represent any number of events under the Fifa umbrella. The trophy does the heavy lifting in terms of occasion, but a photorealistic object sitting inside a graphic system creates an uneasy tension, neither fully photographic nor fully illustrative. A stronger commitment to either direction would have resolved it.

The numerical identity device is well-travelled territory. London 2012 and LA28 have both been here. For it to work, the surrounding visual language needs to be distinctive enough to carry it. Here, it doesn't quite get there.

The ambition to celebrate diversity, culture and community across three host nations is the right instinct. Where the brand loses ground is in the execution. Sixteen host city expressions feel fragmented rather than cohesive. The sense of a unified celebration, one tournament, one moment, doesn't fully come through.

Considering the scale of this tournament, it's a shame the creative ambition couldn't match it.