The primary promotional poster for the 2026 FIFA World Cup was designed to rejoice world stars corresponding to Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, and Vinicius Junior. However because the soccer world scanned the announcement for the upcoming match within the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, one query overshadowed the thrill: why was Cristiano Ronaldo lacking?
As a substitute of solutions, followers obtained confusion — and FIFA, going through rising backlash, was pressured to delete the picture completely. The governing physique eliminated the poster after what it referred to as a “weird error,” a difficulty the group didn’t instantly specify, leaving supporters questioning what had gone incorrect.
The poster, launched on FIFA’s official channels, was designed to highlight one participant from every of the 42 nationwide groups already certified for the expanded 48-nation 2026 World Cup. In response to studies from the Spanish newspaper Marca, this promotional piece was supposed to construct anticipation forward of the official draw on December 5.
It featured among the sport’s greatest icons. Lionel Messi appeared for Argentina, Kylian Mbappe for France, Erling Haaland for Norway, Mohamed Salah for Egypt, Vinicius for Brazil, and Sadio Mane for Senegal. The illustration was meant to be inclusive, world, and balanced — no less than on paper. However what adopted was something however balanced. The picture picked up traction not for who was included, however for who wasn’t.
The primary official poster for the FIFA World Cup 2026
Who represented Portugal on FIFA’s preliminary poster?
The thriller surrounding the error shortly evaporated when supporters analyzed the main points. The poster displayed Bruno Fernandes as Portugal’s consultant — not Cristiano Ronaldo, the nation’s captain and main determine for practically twenty years. This was the second the backlash exploded.
Followers from Portugal and all over the world questioned how the match’s first promotional picture might overlook a participant extensively thought to be one among soccer’s defining figures. Many expressed disbelief, calling the omission illogical and suggesting that FIFA had weakened its personal advertising and marketing impression by excluding one of the crucial recognizable athletes on the planet. Others accused them of bias, mentioning that Ronaldo had featured prominently in each main match poster for practically twenty years.
FIFA provided no rapid clarification for the removing. As reported by a number of retailers, the governing physique merely deleted the picture from its social media channels earlier than changing it with one other one.
Ronaldo’s legacy looms, even with out the poster
Cristiano Ronaldo’s absence was not only a mistake in illustration — it minimize towards the expectations of a soccer world making ready for his potential sixth World Cup look, a record-breaking milestone.The 40-year-old stays central to Portugal’s id. His exclusion raised extra questions than solutions, particularly at a time when the soccer neighborhood continues to debate the longer term roles of its two dominant icons: Ronaldo and Messi.
The 2026 World Cup new official poster
Earlier this month, Ronaldo himself addressed legacy and ambition in an interview with Piers Morgan. “When you ask me, Cristiano, is it a dream to win the World Cup? No, it’s not a dream,” he stated, including that his profession can’t be decreased to a single match final result. “To outline if I’m the most effective of the historical past, to win one competitors… You suppose it’s truthful?”
These phrases gained new resonance because the poster controversy unfolded. The participant who “doesn’t want a World Cup to outline his legacy” had instantly been disregarded of the match’s personal promotional id.
