What does the world’s biggest sporting event have in common with whales, astronauts and flamingos? All of these colorful characters appear on newly designed posters for the 2026 World Cup, which is set to kick off across the United States, Canada and Mexico on June 11. To create the works of art, FIFA enlisted the help of local artists in the tournament’s 16 host cities, resulting in a bicycle-kicking cowboy for Dallas, a neo-noir cityscape for Los Angeles and an athletically gifted lobster for Boston.
Combining children’s book whimsy with views of the Zakim Bridge and Boston Harbor, Massachusetts College of Art and Design instructor John Rego was first approached to design Boston’s poster in 2024.
“[With] a lot of the other World Cup posters, the cities had open-call competitions with artists in the local area,” said Rego, who is a painter and illustrator. “Boston decided to collaborate with [MCAD], where I work and was working at the time, so the college reached out to me and asked me if I wanted to illustrate the poster. And basically we just took it from there.”
With this opportunity in hand, Rego was able to give his illustration students a bit of real-world experience. They helped to come up with the idea to include the poster’s gigantic lobster, rejecting his initial idea of centering a humpback whale. From there, he took cues from author and illustrator Edward Gorey by sketching the concept out in ink before coloring it digitally. He also included a border inspired by the New England folk art his grandmother used in her cross-stitching.
In an age where artificial intelligence is increasingly being used in major marketing campaigns, Rego emphasized the importance of employing local, human artists in showcasing “the personal narratives and stories” of the World Cup’s host cities. Though he’s worked with brands like Saucony and State Farm, the Boston poster is his most “high-profile project” to date.
“I’ve done a lot of projects over the years and usually they’re smaller projects… but this was posted everywhere,” Rego said. “And when I was doing it, for some reason, I didn’t know that it was as big of a deal as it was. So it’s really cool seeing something that I made out there in the world. I saw the poster plastered on a hat at CVS the other day, which was kind of wild.”
To provide unique soundscapes in each host city, FIFA also commissioned 16 remixes of its “Official 2026 World Cup Theme.” Ben Zakharenko and Dayvin were both music production students — and roommates — at Berklee College of Music when they were approached with the opportunity to apply for a vaguely-worded “remix competition project.” After they made it to the second round and discovered who the real client was, they decided to join forces and ended up winning.
“The fact that it was the two of us did help significantly because we could sort of tag team,” said Zakharenko, who graduated from Berklee in 2025. “[Dayvin] could study for a few hours while I worked on it for a couple of hours, and then I’d be like, ‘Okay, I finished recording some guitar, let me pass it off to you to add some drums.’”
Seeking to embrace as much as they could about Boston’s musical history, Zakharenko and Dayvin built their remix around Celtic punk, boyband-pop beats reminiscent of New Kids on the Block and a virtual orchestra representing the Boston Symphony Orchestra. With a seven-day deadline, Zakharenko said the song flowed out “supernaturally,” and credited his Boston-born professors with unlocking its hidden potential.
Now, the Boston Sonic ID is set to be played at Boston Stadium — known locally as Gillette Stadium — during matches, and in events and marketing campaigns throughout the city.
“I used to live in Europe for two years when I was younger,” Zakharenko. “And I remember seeing the 2012 World Cup playing [in] all the pubs and while I was living there … And I’d be like, ‘Wow, what is this? I’ve never really heard of this before, but this major, major soccer event is getting everybody together. And [it’s] just super cool that, a little over a decade later, I’m playing a part in it myself.”
Guests
- John Rego, instructor at MassArt, artist and illustrator who created the Boston World Cup poster
- Ben Zakharenko, music producer and one of the Berklee graduates behind the Boston sonic ID for the World Cup
