sports📡 The GuardianBy Steven BloorJul 22, 2026👁 0 views
The quirky side of World Cup 2026 – in pictures
The quirky side of World Cup 2026 – in pictures
As we say goodbye and adios to World Cup 2026, we round up some of the stranger photographs taken during the tournament, featuring animals, cake … and a dancing robot
Peruvian shamans perform a ritual in Lima to predict the World Cup 2026 final result between Spain and Argentina. Photograph: Angela Ponce/ReutersSteven BloorWed 22 Jul 2026 03.00 EDTLast modified on Wed 22 Jul 2026 06.29 EDTShareView image in fullscreen‘Merlin’ the duck has had quite the tournament. After going viral at the start of the World cup, the two-year-old duck – who was already a bit of a local celebrity in Mexico City – got to meet Claudia Sheinbaum, the president of Mexico,was banned from attending Mexico’s match against Czechia, and honoured on a commemorative lottery ticket Mexico’s national lottery.Photograph: Luis Barron/Eyepix Group/ShutterstockShareView image in fullscreenEdvard Munch’s The Scream – World Cup 2026 edition.Photograph: Carl Recine/Getty ImagesShareView image in fullscreenContainer cranes at the Seattle shipping port welcome the Bosnia and Herzegovina and Qatar teams to the city ahead of their group game.Photograph: Matt McNulty/Fifa/Getty ImagesShareView image in fullscreenA sheepish-looking fan among the thousands that gathered at the Angel of Independence monument in Mexico City, to celebrate Mexico’s 3-0 victory over Czechia in Group A.Photograph: Gerardo Vieyra/NurPhoto/ShutterstockShareView image in fullscreenHair we go, hair we go, hair we go – medical radiologist Mitree Chitinunda gets a haircut design depicting France’s Kylian Mbappé alongside the World Cup trophy and the colours of the French flag in Bangkok. Photograph: Chalinee Thirasupa/ReutersShareView image in fullscreenMore breakfast of nightmares than breakfast of champions.Photograph: Harry Cornish/PPAUK/ShutterstockShareView image in fullscreenMexico fan DJ Swagrman chills outside Los Angeles Stadium in a toy Cybertruck with his dog ‘Swaggy Wolfdog’.Photograph: Arafat Barbakh/ReutersShareView image in fullscreenWho needs Madonna, BTS, Bieber, Shakira, Burna Boy and co for enjoyable half-time entertainment when you have cake? American DJ and record producer Steve Aoki cakes a presenter at half-time of the Norway v England quarter-final.Photograph: Sebastian Widmann/Fifa/Getty ImagesShareView image in fullscreenBet that presenter wouldn’t like being caked with Panda Yuanzai’s World Cup-themed ice-based concoction, which she received during her 13th birthday celebrations at Taipei City Zoo.Photograph: Taipei City Zoo/APShareView image in fullscreenSpain’s Dani Olmo is up for the cup.Photograph: Mark J Terrill/APShareView image in fullscreenPeople gather by a statue of Argentina’s Lionel Messi in the Patagonian province of Neuquen, Argentina as Argentina play England in their semi-final.Photograph: Leila Miller/ReutersShareView image in fullscreenA slightly smaller, and more portable tribute to Messi.Photograph: Syndi Pilar/Zuma Press/ShutterstockShareView image in fullscreenLooks like Keyne (second right) is taking after his big brother Lamine Yamal.Photograph: Pamela Smith/APShareView image in fullscreenRex the Robot aka Brickell Clanker throws some shapes among Norway fans on Ocean Drive ahead of their team’s quarter-final against England. The fans also tried to teach Rex the Viking Row.Photograph: Mauro Pimentel/AFP/Getty ImagesShareView image in fullscreenA baby Jesus figurine dressed in the jersey of the Mexico national team is arranged at the Metropolitan Cathedral in Mexico City, where fans visit and pray for the national team to advance in the tournament.Photograph: Quetzalli Nicte-Ha/ReutersShareView image in fullscreenA Brazil fan photobombs Argentina supporters in Times Square.Photograph: Carolina Herrera/ReutersShareView image in fullscreenLooks like Sasquatch has brought a friend (or is it lunch?) along to Seattle for the USA’s match against Australia.Photograph: Paul Christian Gordon/Zuma Press /ShutterstockShareView image in fullscreenA Germany fan goes old school with a disposable film camera.Photograph: Ezra Shaw/Fifa/Getty ImagesShareView image in fullscreenJapan fans look dejected as they wait to cross the road in Tokyo after watching their team’s last-32 defeat by Brazil. Photograph: Philip Fong/AFP/Getty ImagesShareView image in fullscreenLionel Messi is the GOAT according to materials used by a TV staffer …Photograph: Hannah McKay/ReutersShareView image in fullscreen… whereas these Portugal fans reckon that Cristiano Ronaldo is the GOAT.Photograph: Phil Noble/ReutersShareView image in fullscreenSome cardboard cutout banter from the Brazil fans ahead of the last-16 match between Brazil and Norway. However, Erling Haaland had the last laugh as he scored both goals in Norway’s victory.Photograph: Justin Setterfield/Getty ImagesShareView image in fullscreenA Mexico fan in a rather understated little number.Photograph: Carl de Souza/AFP/Getty ImagesShareView image in fullscreenThat’s one way to beat Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez.Photograph: Nick Potts/PAShareView image in fullscreenThough these Erling Haaland lookalike Norway fans, have got some way to go before they rival the popularity of ‘The Richies’, they can take heart that the Australian group started with just 10 members.Photograph: Martin Meissner/APShareView image in fullscreenThankfully that’s a performer in a World Cup parade in Mexico City, not the person sitting in front of you at a match.Photograph: Ricardo Mazalán/APShareView image in fullscreenIf Messi was number Se7en rather than No 10 …Photograph: Rodrigo Abd/APShareView image in fullscreenEither that England fan is very tall or that’s not a lifesize cardboard cutout of Harry Kane.Photograph: Ed Sykes/Action Images/ReutersShareView image in fullscreenIn Chonburi province, Thailand, two-year-old female pygmy hippopotamus Moo Deng, who went viral in 2024, eats a football-shaped carved watermelon decorated with Argentina’s national flag, after she picked it rather than Spain’s in an effort to predict the outcome of the final.Photograph: Rungroj Yongrit/EPAShareView image in fullscreenPeruvian shamans in Lima perform a ritual to predict the World Cup final result. Like Moo Deng, they got their prediction wrong.Photograph: Angela Ponce/ReutersShareExplore more on these topics
