Meet the three 2026 FIFA World Cup mascots

FIFA have shared the names of the three mascots ahead of the 2026 tournament: Canada’s Maple, USA’s Clutch and Mexico’s Zayu.

As yet, we’ve yet to see their appearance after the global governing body teased each mascot via a series of social media posts but early suggestions suggest that they are all most likely to be based on animals.

For the 2022 Qatar World Cup, FIFA opted for an animated character to be the face of its tournament with La’eeb, a curious floating character based on a kufiya, a scarf that is part of the traditional dress of many Middle Eastern countries.

For the preceding tournament, the Russia 2018 mascot was Zabivaka, a beige wolf with snow goggles and the latest animal FIFA had adopted to grace the World Cup. This tradition continued during the 2014 tournament (Fuleco, the armadillo), 2010 tournament (Zakumi, the leopard), and 2006 tournament (Goleo VI, the lion).

The 48 team competition gets underway on June 11 (2026) in Mexico City and wraps up in NY/NJ on July 19 when the new champion will be decided.

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