TheFIFA World Cup official mascots are a series of characters representing eachFIFA World Cup event. The trend began with Willie in1966 FIFA World Cup, one of the firstmascots to be associated with a major sporting competition. The mascot designs represent a characteristic or symbol of the host country, such as flora, fauna, or costume.[1] The design is frequently one or more anthropomorphic characters targeted at children and coinciding with cartoon shows and merchandise.[2] TheFIFA Women's World Cup events have had official mascots sincethe 1991 event in China.
| Event | Host country | Mascot name | Description | Refs. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | England | Willie | An anthropomorphiclion, a typical symbol of theUnited Kingdom, wearing aUnion Flag jersey with the words "WORLD CUP". Designed by freelance children's book illustrator Reg Hoye. | [1][3] |
| 1970 | Mexico | Juanito | A boy wearingMexico's kit and asombrero (with the words "MEXICO 70"). His name is the diminutive of "Juan", a common name in Spanish. | [3] |
| 1974 | West Germany | Tip and Tap | Two boys wearingGermany kits, with the letters WM (Weltmeisterschaft, World Cup) and number 74. | [3] |
| 1978 | Argentina | Gauchito | A boy wearingArgentina's kit. His hat (with the words ARGENTINA '78),neckerchief andwhip are typical ofgauchos. | [3] |
| 1982 | Spain | Naranjito | An anthropomorphicorange, a typical fruit inSpain, wearing the kit of the host'snational team. Its name comes fromnaranja, Spanish for orange, and the diminutive suffix "-ito". | [3] |
| 1986 | Mexico | Pique | An anthropomorphicjalapeño pepper, characteristic ofMexican cuisine, with amoustache and wearing asombrero. Its name comes frompicante, Spanish for spicy peppers and sauces. | [3] |
| 1990 | Italy | Ciao | Astick figure player with a football head and anItalian tricolore body. Its name is anItalian greeting. It is the only World Cup mascot without a face. | [3] |
| 1994 | United States | Striker | An anthropomorphicdog, a common USpet animal, wearing ared, white and blue soccer uniform with the words "USA 94". | [3] |
| 1998 | France | Footix | An anthropomorphiccockerel, which is one of the national symbols ofFrance. He has the words "FRANCE 98" on his chest, and his body is mostly blue with a red head and tail, like the host'snational team shirt. The mascot for the2019 Women's World Cup, also hosted by France, is a young female chicken named "Ettie", portrayed as the daughter of Footix. | [3][4] |
| 2002 | South Korea Japan | Ato, Kaz and Nik | Orange, purple, and blue (respectively) futuristic,computer-generated creatures. Collectively members of a team of "Atmosball" (a fictional football-like sport), Ato is the coach while Kaz and Nik are players. The three individual names were selected from shortlists by users on the Internet and atMcDonald's outlets in the host countries. | [3] |
| 2006 | Germany | Goleo VI and Pille | An anthropomorphic lion wearing aGermany shirt with the number 06 with a talking football named Pille. Goleo is a portmanteau of the words "goal" and "Leo", the Latin word for lion. InGermany, "Pille" is a colloquial term for a football. | [3] |
| 2010 | South Africa | Zakumi | An anthropomorphicleopard, a common animal found inSouth Africa, with green hair wearing a shirt sayingSouth Africa 2010. Zakumi's green and gold colors represent South African national sports' team's colors. His name comes from "ZA", forSouth Africa, and "Kumi", a word that means "ten" in various African languages. | [3][5] |
| 2014 | Brazil | Fuleco | An anthropomorphicBrazilian three-banded armadillo wearing a white T-shirt reading "Brasil 2014" and a greenBermuda. He has a blue carapace which is patterned after a traditional football. The selection of Fuleco brings attention to the country's great biodiversity, as the Brazilian three-banded armadillo is endemic toBrazil and is classified as avulnerable species. The nameFuleco is a portmanteau of the words "futebol" ("football") and "ecologia" ("ecology"). | [3][6] |
| 2018 | Russia | Zabivaka | An anthropomorphicwolf with a name that translates fromRussian asThe Goalscorer. Zabivaka wears red shorts and a blue and white T-shirt emblazoned with the words "Russia 2018". The color combination is that of theRussian team, with the mascot being selected via internet voting. | [3] |
| 2022 | Qatar | La'eeb | A white floating anthropomorphicghutrah with eyes, eyebrows and an open mouth. Its name is La’eeb, which is anArabic word meaning "super-skilled player". | [3][7][8] |
| 2026 | Canada Mexico United States | Maple, Zayu and Clutch | Maple, an anthropomorphic Canadianmoose, appears in red and represents creativity and resilience. He is a goalkeeper and draws inspiration from the maple leaf, Canada's national symbol. Zayu, an anthropomorphic Mexicanjaguar, wears the traditional green and acts as a forward. Inspired by the importance of the animal to ancient civilizations, it symbolizes strength, agility, and cultural pride. Clutch, an anthropomorphic Americanbald eagle, wears the blue uniform of the American team and symbolizes courage, leadership, and unity, acting as a midfielder. | [3][9][10] |
| Event | Host country | Mascot name | Description | Refs. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | China | Ling Ling | A bird-like mascot of an unspecified species. | [11][12] |
| 1995 | Sweden | Fiffi | A viking girl. | [13] |
| 1999 | United States | Nutmeg | An anthropomorphic fox. | [13] |
| 2003 | United States | (none) | There was no mascot because of the tournament's sudden moving from China to the US, amidst the2002–2004 SARS outbreak. | [12] |
| 2007 | China | Hua Mulan | A girl based on the Chinese tale ofHua Mulan (from whom she is descended). | [14] |
| 2011 | Germany | Karla Kick | An anthropomorphic cat. | [15] |
| 2015 | Canada | Shuéme | An anthropomorphicsnowy owl; her name derives fromchouette, French for "owl". | [16] |
| 2019 | France | Ettie | An anthropomorphic chicken; she is the daughter of Footix, the1998 World Cup mascot. | [4] |
| 2023 | Australia New Zealand | Tazuni | An anthropomorphiclittle penguin; her name is a portmanteau of the Tasman Sea and 'Unity'. | [17] |
Fédération internationale de football association (FIFA) | |
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| Qualification | |
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| Team appearances | |
| Other records |
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| Miscellaneous | |
