Philadelphia unveils its local 2026 men’s World Cup branding

The local design has elements in royal and light blue, a very bright green, and other colors. It's an intentionally loud design for a passionate sports city.

One of the branding designs for Philadelphia's hosting of the 2026 men's World Cup.Read morePhiladelphia Soccer 2026

by Jonathan Tannenwald

Published May 18, 2023, 5:00 a.m. ET

FIFA and Philadelphia’s 2026 men’s World Cup local organizing committee launched the brand and logo for the local events Thursday morning, and set out plans for a few big events in the city later in the day.

Philly’s logo is connected to the local logos of the other 15 host cities across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico; and the overall “We Are 26″ tournament branding FIFA launched with a Wednesday night theater show in Los Angeles.

The local design has elements in royal and light blue, a very bright green, a yellow, a red, and others. There are also patterns meant to invoke the Liberty Bell’s crack and the Art Museum’s steps, two images that the world knows are tied to Philadelphia.

“It’s very vibrant, bright, bold, energetic — not muted in any way, for sure,” host city executive Meg Kane told The Inquirer. That, too, sounds local, given Philadelphia sports fans’ renown for vocal passion.

There will be three publicity events held in the city Thursday. The first will take place at 11:30 a.m. at Lincoln Financial Field with the unveiling of a plaque and a giant banner at the stadium’s northwest corner. The banner will include a photo of Christian Pulisic, the Hershey native who has achieved unparalleled fame with the U.S. national team and big European clubs including England’s Chelsea.

Future banners, or updates to that one, are likely to include other area natives on the world soccer scene. Medford’s Brenden and Paxten Aaronson are obvious candidates, and Kane said they’re high up the list.

“As we move forward, I think you’ll see us designing with other players — certainly the Aaronsons would come to mind,” Kane said. “We do take pride in the fact that are so many local players that have come out of the Union academy and could be part of the U.S. national team in 2026. It not only elevates Philadelphia and the region as a soccer hotbed, it also certainly enhances the pride that we have in the players that this region produces today — but also in the past.”

Pulisic and both Aaronsons spent time in the Union’s youth academy, as did U.S. national team players Zack Steffen (a Philadelphia World Cup ambassador), Mark McKenzie, and Auston Trusty.

Non-U.S. players could be featured as well, especially with the U.S. hosting next year’s edition of the Copa América, South America’s national team championship — with six North and Central American teams to join as guests. Perhaps the Union’s Andre Blake and José Andrés Martínez, veterans of Jamaica and Venezuela’s national teams, respectively, will get a turn down the road.

Thursday’s other event for the cameras is at 3:30 p.m., a flag-raising on the plaza of City Hall’s north side. Down the street at LOVE Park, there will be a display for fans to visit all day.

There will be plenty of posts on social media, too, including from the star athletes who served as honorary bid co-chairs: Alejandro Bedoya, Heather Mitts, Julie and Zach Ertz, Carli Lloyd, and Steffen. The hashtag, if you’re interested in joining in, is #WeAre26.