Ahead of the 2026 World Cup, FIFA pulled all the stops for a dramatic unveiling of the tournament's branding this past Wednesday in Los Angeles. FIFA president Gianni Infantino and two-time World Cup winner with Brazil, Ronaldo, unveiled the Official Brand of the FIFA World Cup 26™ at the iconic Griffith Observatory.

For the first time, the design shows the trophy and year with customization abilities for the three host nations, the U.S., Mexico and Canada, and will serve as a branding blueprint for tournaments to come. As part of the launch, FIFA also introduced the WE ARE 26 campaign, an empowerment initiative for people, places and communities to play an integral role in the Cup's brand.

"WE ARE 26 is a rallying cry. It’s a moment when three countries and an entire continent collectively say: 'We are united as one to welcome the world and deliver the biggest, best and most inclusive FIFA World Cup ever'. The tournament will enable each host country and participating team to write their own page in the history books of FIFA World Cups, and this unique brand is a major step on that road to 2026," said Infantino.

"In just a few hours, the 16 amazing Host Cities will make all of this even more colorful and exciting as they launch the individual brands developed by FIFA," the FIFA President added. "These unique city identities embody the fun and fantastic people and places that will offer fans an experience like no other in 2026. While we celebrate here in LA together tonight, an entire continent celebrates that the whole world will unite in North America for the greatest show on Earth in just three years' time."

The event featured a Q&A with USMNT legend Alexei Lalas and Telemundo host Ana Jurka with FIFA legends from the host countries: Carli Lloyd, Craig Forrest and Jorge Campos.

The event was livestreamed via FIFAWorldCup.com and concluded with a drone show that lit up the sky over the Hollywood Hills.

"The FIFA World Cup 2026 will be a festival of football that will take the sport to new heights in the region and beyond. With 104 matches to be played across 16 cities in Canada, Mexico and the USA, it provides a tremendous opportunity to engage people and bring new fans to the beautiful game," said FIFA vice-president and CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani.

"This innovative brand, and the inclusive 'WE ARE 26' campaign, are major milestones that bring that opportunity a step closer, and they send a clear signal that this incredible competition is now truly on the horizon."

Through the website, FIFA will increase fan engagement ahead of the June 2026 tournament with activations across social media platforms and are encouraging the use of the #FIFAWorldCup and #WeAre26 hashtags to express their joy and excitement.

This article was originally published on 90min as FIFA World Cup 26 official brand unveiled at iconic LA landmark.