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List of FIFA World Cup official mascots

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The FIFA World Cup official mascots are a series of characters representing each FIFA World Cup event. The trend began with Willie in 1966 FIFA World Cup, one of the first mascots 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] The FIFA Women's World Cup events have had official mascots since the 1991 event in China.

Men's World Cup

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Event Host
country 		Mascot name Description Refs.
1966 EnglandEngland Willie A lion, a typical symbol of the United Kingdom, wearing a Union Flag jersey with the words "WORLD CUP". Designed by freelance children's book illustrator Reg Hoye. [1][3]
1970 MexicoMexico Juanito A boy wearing Mexico's kit and a sombrero (with the words "MEXICO 70"). His name is the diminutive of "Juan", a common name in Spanish. [3]
1974 West GermanyWest Germany Tip and Tap Two boys wearing Germany kits, with the letters WM (Weltmeisterschaft, World Cup) and number 74. [3]
1978 ArgentinaArgentina Gauchito A boy wearing Argentina's kit. His hat (with the words ARGENTINA '78), neckerchief and whip are typical of gauchos. [3]
1982 SpainSpain Naranjito An orange, a typical fruit in Spain, wearing the kit of the host's national team. Its name comes from naranja, Spanish for orange, and the diminutive suffix "-ito". [3]
1986 MexicoMexico Pique A jalapeño pepper, characteristic of Mexican cuisine, with a moustache and wearing a sombrero. Its name comes from picante, Spanish for spicy peppers and sauces. [3]
1990 ItalyItaly Ciao A stick figure player with a football head and an Italian tricolore body. Its name is an Italian greeting. It is the only World Cup mascot without a face. [3]
1994 United StatesUnited States Striker A dog, a common US pet animal, wearing a red, white and blue soccer uniform with the words "USA 94". [3]
1998 FranceFrance Footix A cockerel, one of the national symbols of France, with the words "FRANCE 98" on the chest. Its body is mostly blue, like the host's national team shirt. The mascot for the 2019 Women's World Cup, also hosted by France, was a young female chicken named "Ettie", portrayed as the daughter of Footix. [3][4]
2002 South KoreaSouth Korea
JapanJapan 		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 at McDonald's outlets in the host countries. [3]
2006 GermanyGermany Goleo VI and Pille A lion wearing a Germany 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. In Germany, "Pille" is a colloquial term for a football. [3]
2010 South AfricaSouth Africa Zakumi He is a leopard, a common animal found in South Africa, with green hair wearing a shirt saying South Africa 2010. Zakumi's green and gold colors represent South African national sports' team's colors. His name comes from "ZA", for South Africa, and "Kumi", a word that means "ten" in various African languages. [3][5]
2014 BrazilBrazil Fuleco A Brazilian three-banded armadillo wearing a white T-shirt reading "Brasil 2014" and a green Bermuda. 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 to Brazil and is classified as a vulnerable species. The name Fuleco is a portmanteau of the words "futebol" ("football") and "ecologia" ("ecology"). [3][6]
2018 RussiaRussia Zabivaka A wolf with a name that translates from Russian as The Goalscorer. Zabivaka wears red shorts and a blue and white T-shirt emblazoned with the words "Russia 2018". The color combination is that of the Russian team, with the mascot being selected via internet voting. [3]
2022 QatarQatar La'eeb A white floating ghutrah with eyes, eyebrows and an open mouth. Its name is La’eeb, which is an Arabic word meaning "super-skilled player". [3][7][8]

Women's World Cup

[edit]
Event Host
country 		Mascot name Description Refs.
1991 ChinaChina Ling Ling A bird-like mascot of an unspecified species. [9][10]
1995 SwedenSweden Fiffi A viking. [11]
1999 United StatesUnited States Nutmeg A fox. [11]
2003 United StatesUnited States (none) There was no mascot because of the tournament's sudden moving from China to the US, amidst the 2002–2004 SARS outbreak. Hua Mulan was initially the mascot, but was later scrapped until 2007 due to the relocation. [10]
2007 ChinaChina Hua Mulan A girl based on the Chinese tale of Hua Mulan. [12]
2011 GermanyGermany Karla Kick A cat. [13]
2015 CanadaCanada Shuéme A snowy owl; her name derives from chouette, French for "owl". [14]
2019 FranceFrance Ettie A chicken; she is the daughter of Footix, the 1998 World Cup mascot. [4]
2023 AustraliaAustralia
New ZealandNew Zealand 		Tazuni A little penguin; her name is a portmanteau of the Tasman Sea and 'Unity'. [15]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Kasprzak, Emma (15 June 2012). "World Cup Willie's sporting mascot legacy". BBC News. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
  2. ^ "FIFA World Cup official mascots". FIFA. Archived from the original on 31 July 2020. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "World Cup Mascots in history". fifa.com.
  4. ^ a b "ettie revealed as Official Mascot for FIFA Women's World Cup France 2019". FIFA.com. 12 May 2018.
  5. ^ "Briefs | Leopard named Zakumi is 2010 World Cup mascot". The Seattle Times. 2008-09-23. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  6. ^ Payne, Marissa (7 July 2014). "Environmental conservationists call FIFA out for misusing its 'Fuleco' armadillo mascot". The Washington Post. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  7. ^ ANI (2022-04-02). "La'eeb unveiled as official mascot for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022". ThePrint. Retrieved 2023-05-13.
  8. ^ Khosla, Varuni (2022-12-09). "Indian company Fractal Picture behind Fifa World Cup Qatar 2022 mascot La'eeb". mint. Retrieved 2023-05-13.
  9. ^ FIFA.com (2015-03-29). "67 days to go". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on March 31, 2015. Retrieved 2018-05-13.
  10. ^ a b "Timeline: Women's World Cup". Transform magazine. Retrieved 2018-05-13.
  11. ^ a b "What does a sporting mascot say about a country?". ABC News. 2023-08-03. Retrieved 2025-03-02.
  12. ^ "World Cup 2010: Top 10 World Cup Mascots | Goal.com". www.goal.com. Archived from the original on 2012-07-14. Retrieved 2018-05-13.
  13. ^ FIFA.com (2010-08-13). "Official mascot - Karla Kick". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on May 13, 2018. Retrieved 2018-05-13.
  14. ^ "Shuéme the great white owl unveiled as FIFA Women's World Cup Canada mascot". Vancouver Sun. 2014-06-17. Retrieved 2018-05-13.
  15. ^ "2023 FIFA Women's World Cup Mascot Unveiled". FIFA.com. 19 October 2022. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
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