The concept of having a mascot for a sporting event seems common now, but that wasn’t always the case with the W. Cup. It wasn’t until England hosted the tournament in 1966 that a mascot was bought in.
However, they’ve been ever-present since and some have become very popular. Let’s take a look at some of the mascots since then.
W. Cup Willie, England 1966
W. Cup Willie was the first ever mascot at a W. Cup and he was a lion wearing a Union Jack jersey. He was a major success and a trailblazer for what was to follow when it came to W. Cup mascots. He was designed by children’s book illustrator Reg Hoye and was eventually turned into a comic strip character.
Juanito, Mexico 1970
Juanito, meaning “Little John”, was the Mexican mascot from 1970 and wore a sombrero and a green shirt. He was the first mascot for the first W. Cup that was produced in colour.
Tip and Tap, West Germany 1974
Tip and Tap were Germany’s mascots in 1974. They were two boys kitted out in the German national team’s kit, with one emblazoned with the letters WM (Weltmeisterschaft, German for W. Cup), and the other with the number 74. They were said to be a pair to display togetherness and friendship.
Gauchito, Argentina 1978
Argentina followed Mexico and Germany’s record of having young boys as their mascots. Gauchito was the official mascot in 1978 and wore the iconic blue and white Argentina shirt. He also had a neckerchief and Argentina ’78 on the front of his hat.
Naranjito, Spain 1982
Naranjito was very different to anything that had come before him and he was in fact an orange, wearing the Spanish national team’s kit. He carried a football and his name translates to “Little Orange”.
Pique, Mexico 1986
Mexico’s second FIFA W. Cup mascot continued with the food theme and Pique was a jalapeno pepper, who wore a giant sombrero. He also sported a traditional Mexican moustache.
Ciao, Italy 1990
Italy 1990 saw a totally new design for mascots, unlike anything that had ever been seen before. Ciao was more of a modern structure, with a football as a head. It’s the only mascot to not have a face and his blocks are in the green, white and red of the Italian tricolore.
Stryker, the W. Cup Pup, USA 1994
Another first happened in 1994, when the USA allowed the public to vote for what would be the tournament’s mascot. Stryker won the vote and he was a dog wearing the national kit, with the W. Cup logo displayed on the front.
Footix, France 1998
For the first time since 1966, a mascot was chosen that would be a recognised national emblem in the shape of a traditional French cockerel. He’s one of the more colourful mascots and had a bright blue body, red hard and yellow beak.
Ato, Kaz and Nik, South Korea and Japan 2002
Known collectively as The Spheriks, Ato, Kaz and Nik were the first mascots of the new millennium and were orange, purple and blue. They were the first computer-generated mascots and were members of a team of “Atmoball”, which is a fictional football-like sport. Ato, the orange mascot, is the coach, while Kaz and Nik were the players. The names were decided by internet users and McDonald’s customers in Japan and South Korea.
Goleo VI and Pille, Germany 2006
Goleo VI and Pille were voted as the favourite W. Cup mascots from the last 20 years. After the computer-generated trio in 2002, the 2006 pair were more traditional. Goleo was a lion in a Germany shirt, while Pille was his football.
Zakumi, South Africa 2010
Zakumi was one of the most memorable mascots in W. Cup history and was ever-present across South Africa. He was a leopard, who dyed his hair to camouflage himself from the green of the pitch. His name came from the “ZA”, for South Africa, and “kumi”, which means “ten” in various African languages.
Fuleco, Brazil 2014
Fuleco was the Brazilian-native three-banded armadillo, which is classified as a vulnerable species. He wore a white t-shirt with the W. Cup logo on it, while he had a shell that represented the natural beauty of Brazil. The blue tones on his head signified the sky and clear waters, along with the wildlife that belongs in the South American country.
Zabivaka, Russia 2018
This year’s W. Cup mascot is Zabivaka, which means “The Goalscorer” in Russian. The name was chosen after a lengthy and engaging process. Over one million Russians voted on the FIFA website over a month, while he was eventually revealed during a live show on television.