2026 FIFA spectacle official brand unveiled

Article posted by Coliseum, May 23^rd, 2023

Image: FIFA

The FIFA World Cup™ Trophy, the most widely recognized and prized sporting asset globally, was unveiled at the forefront of the FIFA World Cup 26™ Official Brand on May 17^th, 2023.

‘FIFA’ stated that for the first time in history, an image of the actual trophy and the tournament hosting year is being depicted, forming an innovative design language that anchors the FIFA World Cup™ emblem for 2026 and beyond. The image of the trophy and the year allow for customization to reflect the uniqueness of each host, while building an identifiable brand structure for years to come.

Zürich (Switzerland)-based the Fédération internationale de football association (FIFA) is the international governing body of association football, beach soccer and futsal. It was founded in 1904 to oversee international competition among the national associations of Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

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The 2026 FIFA World Cup™ will be the 23^rd FIFA World Cup™, the quadrennial international men’s soccer championship contested by the national teams of the member-associations of FIFA. It will be jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada and will be held from June 11^th-July 19^th, 2026.

‘FIFA’ further stated that the Official Brand of the FIFA World Cup 2026™ was launched in Los Angeles, US, in an event that saw FIFA, host countries Canada, Mexico and the United States, football legends and special guests come together to celebrate the first milestone of an exciting journey to the greatest sporting event ever. Attendees at the iconic Griffith Observatory witnessed sporting history made as the emblem was presented by the FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Ronaldo, two-time FIFA World Cup winner with Brazil.

The Griffith Observatory is an observatory in Los Angeles, California (US) on the South-facing slope of Mount Hollywood in Griffith Park. It commands a view of the Los Angeles Basin including Downtown Los Angeles to the Southeast, Hollywood to the South and the Pacific Ocean to the Southwest.

Ronaldo, in full Ronaldo Luiz Nazario de Lima, Brazilian football (soccer) player who led Brazil to a World Cup title in 2002 and who received three Player of the Year awards (1996-1997 and 2002) from the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA).

The launch also introduced ‘WE ARE 26’, a campaign that empowers people, places and communities to play an integral role in launching the FIFA World Cup 26™ Official Brand. The campaign has captured portraits of faces and places that tell their own unique FIFA World Cup stories, featuring individuals and experiences that await fans in 2026 and inviting everyone to be a part of it.

Said Infantino, “’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 tournament will enable each host country and the participating teams 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. In just a few hours, the 16 amazing Host Cities will make all of this even more colorful and exciting as they launch the individual brands developed by FIFA. These unique City identities embody the fun and fantastic people and places that will offer fans an experience like no other in 2026. While we celebrate here in Los Angeles together tonight (May 17th), an entire continent celebrates that the whole world will unite in North America for the greatest show on Earth in just three years’ time.”

Guests also followed a Q&A session led by the Fox Sports analyst and 1994 FIFA World Cup™ star Alexi Lalas (American soccer player) and Telemundo’s host Ana Jurka, with FIFA legends from the three host countries, namely Carli Lloyd (American soccer player), Craig Forrest (Canadian soccer player) and Jorge Campos (Mexican former football player). The evening ended in style with a drone show over the Hollywood Hills.

Miami (US)-based Telemundo is an American Spanish-language terrestrial television network owned by NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, a division of NBCUniversal, which in turn is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Comcast. It provides content nationally with programing syndicated worldwide to more than 100 countries in over 35 languages.

Ana Flores Jurka is a Honduran journalist. She is currently the host of the sports program Titulares Telemundo that airs on Telemundo.

The entire event was also streamed via FIFAWorldCup.com, giving fans worldwide an opportunity to get involved in the launch and start counting down the days until kick-off.

The FIFA Vice-President and the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) President Victor Montagliani, said, “The FIFA World Cup 2026™ will be a festival of football that will take the sport to new heights in the Concacaf region and beyond. With 104 matches to be played across 16 Cities in Canada, Mexico and the United States, it provides a tremendous opportunity to engage people and bring new fans to the beautiful game. This innovative brand, and the inclusive ‘WE ARE 26’ campaign, is major milestones that bring that opportunity a step closer, and they send a clear signal that this incredible competition is now truly on the horizon. I look forward with great anticipation to continuing to work with all of the Host Cities, the team at FIFA and the many important stakeholders involved in delivering what will be the biggest and most inclusive and diverse World Cup ever.”

To follow the launch of the 16 individual Host City Brands across Canada, Mexico and the United States during May 18^th, visit FIFAWorldCup.com. Fans attending or following the activations on social media are encouraged to use the hashtags #FIFAWorldCup and #WeAre26 and share their joy and excitement.

The next edition of the FIFA World Cup™ will be held in June and July 2026, with the champions being crowned on July 19^th, 2026. The four-team group stage phase remains ahead of an expanded knockout phase that will see the 32 world’s best national teams fight it out for the game’s ultimate prize.

The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) will be the first confederation to kick off the road to 2026, with current champions Argentina and fellow South American teams starting their qualifiers in September 2023.

Miami (US)-based the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football, abbreviated as Concacaf, is one of FIFA’s six continental governing bodies for association football.

The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) is the continental governing body of football in South America and it is one of FIFA’s six continental confederations. The oldest continental confederation in the world, its headquarters are located in Luque, Paraguay, near Asunción.

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