Miró's work and impressionism: remember the design of World Cup posters
The World Cup has 22 editions and 96 years of history. In addition to football, the event's promotional pieces throughout history have sought to highlight cultural and political characteristics of the countries that hosted the event and the importance of football for each people.
From the 20th to the 21st century, World Cup posters are the "gateway" to the culture of each nation and, over the years, have included contributions from important artistic movements and renowned artists, such as the Catalan painter Joan Miró and the American photographer Annie Leibovitz.
Check out the posters for all the World Cups
- Uruguay 1930
Signed by Guillermo Laborde, the poster for the first World Cup features elements of art deco, which was at its peak.
Poster for the World Cup in Uruguay, in 1930 - Reproduction
- Italy 1934
In keeping with the political scenario of the time, the poster for the World Cup in Italy in 1934 was created by an artist who supported Benito Mussolini's fascist regime. Also influenced by art deco, Gino Boccasile placed an Azzurri player in a central position on the poster.
Poster for the World Cup in Italy, in 1934 - Reproduction
- France 1938
The artist Henri Desmé adopted an aesthetic common to ideological propaganda posters, on the eve of the Second World War. The illustration conveys an image of football as a tool for displaying French national sovereignty.
Poster for the World Cup in France, in 1938 - Reproduction
- Brazil 1950
After a hiatus due to the war, the World Cup is represented on the poster with flags of the gathered nations, symbolizing a new world order and a new scenario in diplomatic relations between countries. The art is one of the only ones registered by FIFA that does not have an author.
Poster for the World Cup in Brazil, in 1950 - Reproduction
- Switzerland 1954
The poster for the World Cup back in Europe features a player at the center of the illustration, resuming football as the central theme of the artistic pieces linked to the event. Like the previous poster, this one does not bear the name of the artist responsible for the work.
Poster for the World Cup in Switzerland, in 1954 - Reproduction
- Sweden 1958
The poster for the World Cup in Sweden dialogues with other artistic references from the period, such as the silhouette of a football player, making reference to the recently released "Vertigo", by Alfred Hitchcock. The style is close to the visual identity of artist Saul Bass and innovates by writing "football" in English, Spanish and German, the official languages of FIFA.
Poster for the World Cup in Sweden, in 1958 - Reproduction
- Chile 1962
With a minimalist style, the design of the 1962 World Cup innovates by making reference to outer space. The illustration followed the geopolitical scenario of the time, in which a race to space was in vogue. The Earth and a ball orbiting it, expressing the importance of football on a global scale.
Poster for the World Cup in Chile, in 1962 - Reproduction
- England 1966
The new feature of the poster is the presence, for the first time, of a World Cup mascot. The Lion, a symbol of the United Kingdom, is the highlight of the design, which opted for a minimalist aesthetic, with few elements.
Poster for the World Cup in England, in 1966 - Reproduction
- Mexico 1970
When it comes to World Cup posters, Mexico's is the main reference. With concentric lines, which express the aesthetics in force in the 1970s, the font became known in sports designs and the ball, with icosahedrons, began to be used at this time, becoming a symbol of the sport.
Poster for the World Cup in Mexico, in 1970 - Reproduction
- West Germany 1974
Impressionism was the movement that inspired the aesthetics adopted by German Horst Schafer in painting the poster for the 1974 World Cup. With striking brushstrokes, the artist portrayed a centralized player, expressing the intensity of the historic moment.
Poster for the World Cup in West Germany, in 1974 - Reproduction
- Argentina 1978
Under the violent dictatorship that deposed Peronism in Argentina, the cheerful poster tries to mask the political period of tension that the country was experiencing. Inspired by pointillism, very popular in the 1970s, the Mandatos Internacionales agency, hired by the military regime, created the poster in shades of blue for that year's World Cup.
Poster for the World Cup in Argentina, in 1978 - Reproduction
- Spain 1982
One of the most disruptive posters in the World Cup collection, the World Cup in Spain was represented by the Catalan artist Joan Miró. In bright colors and abstract lines, the artist gave the competition an air of celebration, while at the same time capturing the country's cultural particularities.
The word "ESPAÑA" is written at the top in the artist's own organic handwriting. However, there is no presence of Naranjito, the edition's mascot.
Poster for the 1982 World Cup in Spain - Reproduction
- Mexico 1986
The poster for the return of the World Cup to Mexico was created by renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz. The silhouette of a football player under monuments of Aztec art references the country's original culture and compares football to an ancient Mesoamerican ritual that consisted of passing a rubber ball between hoops fixed to the wall.
The font that reads "Mexico86" recalls the writing of the first edition, with curvilinear letters and futuristic aesthetics, linked to the artistic movements of the 1980s.
Poster for the 1986 World Cup in Mexico - Reproduction
- Italy 1990
Just like the previous edition, the World Cup poster in Italy made reference to its past by placing a colorful football field in the center of the Roman Coliseum. Art compares the competition between national teams to the great gladiators. Despite the grandeur of the poster, the event is considered by many to be one of the worst World Cups, due to technical errors and the low number of goals scored in the competition.
Poster for the 1990 World Cup in Italy - Reproduction
- United States 1994
Also influenced by spatial aesthetics, the poster for the World Cup in the United States once again places football in outer space, with a centralized player, shooting "at the stars". The painting, with vibrant colors and simpler lines, is by Peter Max, who said in interviews at the time that he wanted to represent the "universality of football".
Poster for the 1994 World Cup in the United States - Reproduction
- France 1998
The poster was chosen through a competition, in which student Nathalie Le Gall
came out the winner. The French artist used the colors of the country's flag - red, blue and white - to express the values of freedom, equality and fraternity present in the country's anthem, and, in the center, a colorful football field.
Poster for the 1998 World Cup in France - Reproduction
- Korea and Japan 2002
The mission of the poster was to represent the first World Cup held in two countries simultaneously. Two artists were brought together - Byun Choo Suk, from South Korea, and Hirano Sogen, from Japan, who used brush strokes, making reference to traditional Asian art. The artists produced the look in just two days.
Poster for the World Cup held in Korea and Japan in 2002 - Reproduction
- Germany 2006
The World Cup, known as one of the most organized and with the greatest structure since the creation of the tournament, was represented by a poster in a more modern and digital style, created by the WE DO Communication agency. The stars make reference to the "dream" of the World Cup, and the poster was chosen by Franz Beckenbauer himself, the famous German coach.
Poster for the 2006 World Cup in Germany - Reproduction
- South Africa 2010
The first World Cup in a country on the African continent features a design with the colors green, red and yellow, and a black face next to a soccer ball. The universality of the colors represents Pan-Africanism, and the design is designed by artists Gaby de Abreu and Paul Dale, who chose to represent African people as originating from the same cultures.
Poster for the 2010 World Cup, held in South Africa - Reproduction
- Brazil 2014
In a politically divided scenario, the poster for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil shows two legs competing for a ball, composed of graphic elements that represent the culture and characteristics of the country, such as tourist attractions and fauna and flora. The art is by Karen Haidinger, a Brazilian designer, who tried to represent football as a vector of unity for Brazilians.
Poster for the World Cup in Brazil, in 2014 - Reproduction
- Russia 2018
Recovering vintage elements and political propaganda aesthetics, the poster for the World Cup in Russia in 2018 makes direct reference to Soviet artistic expressions. The poster is made up of elements that make explicit the connection with the historical period, such as constructivist art and Russian futurism, and also the representation of Lev Yashin, legendary Soviet goalkeeper.
Poster for the 2018 World Cup in Russia - Reproduction
- Qatar 2022
With minimalist aesthetics and centralized elements, the poster for the World Cup in Qatar represented the dynamism and modernity of the Arab country. With Arabic calligraphy and the presence of the traditional male hat used in Qatar and other Middle Eastern countries, called Gahfiya (or Gahfiya), the art intended to represent the country's culture and relate such elements to football.
Poster for the World Cup in Qatar, in 2022 - Reproduction
- United States, Mexico and Canada 2026
On June 3, FIFA released the official poster for the 2026 World Cup, which will be played in the United States, Mexico and Canada. Signed by artists Carson Ting (Canada), Minerva GM (Mexico) and Hank Willis Thomas (United States), the work celebrates the unprecedented nature of a World Cup held in three countries.
Poster for the 2026 World Cup, played in the United States, Mexico and Canada - Reproduction
See the teams classified for the 2026 World Cup
Source: CNN