FIFA has unveiled its official host city posters for the men’s 2026 World Cup — due to take place across the United States, Canada and Mexico next summer — and it’s an eye-catching collection which ranges from the astoundingly artistic to the sublimely surreal.
The world game’s governing body has been commissioning individual venue artworks for the men’s and women’s World Cup since the 1998 men’s finals in France, when each of the nine host venues were assigned their own distinct poster for the tournament.
With the 2026 men’s World Cup set to kick off in June 2026 at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, FIFA has released the official posters for all 16 cities that will stage matches across the three host nations, from Miami to Monterrey.
Each poster has been created by a local artist, either as part of a contest or via a process of collaboration with local institutions. Many of them have posted videos onto their social media accounts that give an insight into the concept and process behind their particular design, which are well worth checking out if that’s your thing.
Presented in alphabetical order, we have cast a beady eye over each piece, appraised their concept and visual impact, and assigned them all a rating out of 10.
Atlanta’s poster is a cartoon-style collage containing many of the city’s most famous buildings — from the Bank of America skyscraper to the golden dome of the Georgia State Capitol building. The most eye-catching aspect is that of a large golden football emerging from a ripe, juicy peach (a great Georgia produce) while there is a cascade of the fruit and blossom around the fringes of the design.
Rating: 6.5/10
Looking like something from the cover of a classic Tintin comic, this incredible poster depicts an underwater football match taking place out in Boston Harbor with a team of fish attempting to score past a giant lobster goalkeeper. Totally absurd, surreal and fantastical — we love everything about it. Full marks. No notes.
Rating: 10/10
This was the last of the bunch to be unveiled, but definitely worth the wait. Dallas’ poster is red, white and blue through and through and sees the 2026 World Cup welcomed to the Texas via the timeless image of a cowpoke connecting with a nifty overhead kick in full leather chaps and boots. Lots of razzle with equal amounts of dazzle thrown in for good measure.
Rating: 8/10
Bright and vivid, Guadalajara’s poster is an energetic celebration of the Mexican city’s spirit and culture. The design features the Estadio Akron and features references to local Jaliscan food, music, dance and the majestic spires of the Palacio de Gobierno, the government building. Arguably it lacks a true focal point to draw the eye, but has pleasing blast of color nonetheless.
Rating: 7/10
Demonstrating excellent chest control for somebody wearing a bulky space suit and cowboy hat, the main figure in Houston’s World Cup poster is a tribute to its astronautical heritage. The Texan city is of course the location for the sprawling Johnson Space Center, which is home to NASA’s astronaut training complex.
Rating: 7.5/10
Entitled “Woven Together,” the Kansas City poster conjures the spirited feeling of a typical matchday atmosphere in the city. Fans make their journey through the sunflower fields, over the Christopher S. Bond Bridge, past the famous fountains and into the raucous amphitheatre of the Kansas City Stadium. It is not the most spectacular entry, but it is certainly an emotive and evocative image for any match-going supporter.
Rating: 6.5/10
The official FIFA World Cup 26 Los Angeles™ poster has arrived!
Congrats to Thieb Delaporte-Richard the winner of the Los Angeles World Cup Poster Design Content! This design captures the spirit of LA by blending the excitement of the World Game with our regions’ iconic energy. pic.twitter.com/diV9vjRWtv
— FIFA World Cup 26 Los Angeles™ (@LosAngelesFWC26) March 20, 2025
A familiar image of the Los Angeles skyline in dusky twilight is presented in silhouette. In the foreground an unknown footballer is launching a freekick from atop the hills, through the palms and down into the middle of the city streets — which is quite an exciting prospect.
Rating: 7/10
🖼️ @FWC26Miami‘s Official #WeAre26 Host City poster is here!#FIFAWorldCup
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) March 25, 2025
Gaudy in neon blues and pinks, the Miami poster features a gathering down on the beach where a group of local revellers appear to be worshipping a mysterious, floating giant football. Or perhaps they are in awe of the prancing flamingo that is wearing the daintiest football socks we’ve ever seen.
Rating: 6.5/10
The posters for all three Mexican host cities are by the same artist and are produced in the same folk-art style. For the capital city it is the iconic Estadio Azteca, so synonymous with the World Cup, in situ surrounded by the flora, fauna, buses, music, the impressive Angel of Independence statue, famous Xochimilco pleasure boats and even luchador wrestlers.
Rating: 7/10
The final part of the Mexican triptych, Monterrey’s poster is a blue, red and green iteration of the template with the city’s own local landmarks and culture thrown into the mix. The rippled roofline of the Estadio Monterrey sits in the centre while playful images of cathedrals, the Cerro de la Silla mountain, live accordion music and sizzling steaks jostle for position alongside.
Rating: 7/10
New York/New Jersey (Rich Tu)
In typically bold fashion for New York City, the design features a football immersed within the flames of The Statue of Liberty’s iconic copper torch. Snuck into the background is a pair of dice, which is perhaps an allusion to New Jersey gambling haven Atlantic City.
Rating: 7.5/10
Chock full of Philly landmarks, the poster features such notable local hot spots as the Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell Center, Franklin Square and, perhaps most importantly of all, the “Rocky Steps” — i.e, the flight up to the Philadelphia Museum of Art that a sweat-soaked Sylvester Stallone sprinted up to the top of in the 1976 film “Rocky.”
Rating: 7/10
San Francisco Bay Area (Leroid David)
Simple yet epic, the Bay Area poster is dominated by a colossal image of the Golden Gate Bridge seemingly competing for a header against the Oakland Bay Bridge in an aerial duel for the ages. Big, bold and distinctive.
Rating: 8.5/10
Seattle has produced another choice of example of precisely how to meld local culture with the beautiful game. A humpback whale flicks its tail out of the water in order to send a long ball up Elliott Bay. Rising up in the distance is Mount Rainier, while in the background you can see the Space Needle, which is used as the emblem of local MLS team Seattle Sounders.
Rating: 8/10
Classy stuff from Toronto, with its poster taking inspiration from mid-century Cubist/Modernist art to create a poster of a Canada international player depicted in a beautiful fractured aesthetic that wouldn’t look out of place on a gallery wall — or at least the wall of a very upmarket sports bar.
Rating: 7.5/10
Zurovski — who has Ukrainian, Polish and Namgis First Nation ancestry — has taken the time to represent Indigenous art with his refined, sparse design. The main focus of the poster is the Orca whale which is making its way through the bay, in front of the Port Mann Bridge, as the majestic North Shore mountains unfold in the distance.
Rating: 6.5/10
