JAKARTA - Over the past week, images of the 2026 World Cup have started circulating on social media of the alleged mascot designed for the tournament.

The United States will co-host the tournament with the majority of places in Canada and Mexico. This is the first time three different countries have co-hosted the World Cup in the history of football.

We all know this info and have known it for a long time, but this mascot raises certain concerns about how the world perceives Mexico.

Dating back to 1986, the mascot for the Mexico World Cup was a hot pepper with a Mexican sombrero named Pique. At present, the representation of the Mexican seems quite far from the real Mexico.

We are talking about one of the most multicultural countries with great diversity. You can easily find Caucasians as easily as you can find people who are descended from the African continent.

Thinking this sombrero stereotype is too narrow to describe a country like Mexico these days. So, is the Mexican stereotype back because of this cactus?

The problem here is that in the image circulating, there's a moose representing Canada, Uncle Sam representing the United States, and a cactus with a sombrero representing Mexico.

Although cacti are very common in the country, the sombrero portrays a false image of what Mexico really is. Fortunately, Marca reports, this mascot image is fake.

The mascots of this grand event were not revealed to the public before the previous World Cup started. They were introduced about a year before the event took place.

That is, the mascot in circulation is nothing more than the work of an unknown designer who wants to create a thought-provoking image against Mexico.


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