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FIFA's World Cup 26 city posters show why football's called the beautiful game

The FIFA World Cup 2026 is still over a year away, but the build up has begun with the release of the first-ever set of World Cup host city poster designs (a reader has helpfully pointed out that Spain 1982 and Russia 2018 also had city posters).

The World Cup 26 logo has been controversial with its move to a standardised design (compare with our pick of the best World Cup logos). But the newly revealed posters at least make up for some of that uniformity and remind us why Pelé called football the beautiful game, bringing together a diverse range of influences to celebrate the vibrancy of the sport.

The artwork for major sports events can often be as memorable as the sporting action, so we're always pleased to see more being made of it. Big international events are also a chance for host cities to promote themselves on the world stage, so it makes sense for each to have a design showcasing its culture.

Euro 2024 took a step in this direction with artwork for each host city. FIFA's World Cup 26 designs go further giving each host city a full-size poster illustrated by a local artist, from Dave Murray's Cassandre-esque cubist piece (Toronto) to Matt Cliff's bicycle kicking cowboy (Dallas) and a vibrant mix of symbolism from illustrator Mario Cortés, AKA Cuemanche, (all three posters for Mexico's host cities).

Houston's poster features an astronaut playing keepy uppy, and Boston's stars a giant lobster flicking the ball with its tail. Meanwhile, Miami is unmistakable with its pink hues, flamingo and palm trees.

Each design seeks to capture the landmarks, cultural identity and distinctive characteristics of these cities, integrating iconic elements that represent them while showing a shared passion for the artistry of football.