The World Cup is a huge global sporting event that occurs for one month every four years. During this month the whole world lives and breathes football. People from different countries all over the world wave their flags high creating a sea of colour and energy. Every four years it is up to one country to host the World Cup and of course a different brand is designed for each World Cup reflecting the host nation. This post looks at the World Cup brand designs over the past 44 years and briefly outlines some of the similarities and changes in the World Cup branding over the years.



Looking at the brands below it is clear that one thing has remained constant over the years and that is the use of vibrant colours to evoke a sense of fun and multiculturalism. Nearly all of the logo designs and mascots below use an array of bright and vibrant colours. After all, soccer is “the world game”, so it’s no surprise that this theme has remained over the years.

The mascot character designs have definitely improved over the years. The 2010 mascot, Zakumi, was executed quite nicely and represents the South African country quite well. Footix (the France 1998 mascot) and Striker (the USA 1994 mascot) also do a good job of representing the host nation and capturing the hearts of children all over the world.

As for the logo designs themselves, over the years there have been a mix of very simple designs and vastly complex ones. Sometimes it seems like the basic logo design principles don’t apply to World Cup logos! Some of the designs look more like illustrative posters than logos, the South Africa 2010 logo in particular. For me, the France 1998 and USA 1994 logo designs do the job quite nicely as they are clean, simple, balanced and dynamic.

I guess we will all have our own preferences, likes and dislikes, but in the end each brand represents a worldwide sporting celebration and will go down in the history books forever.

World Cup South Africa 2010 Brand Design

World Cup Germany 2006 Brand Design

World Cup Korea/Japan 2002 Brand Design

World Cup France 1998 Brand Design

World Cup United States 1994 Brand Design

World Cup Italy 1990 Brand Design

World Cup Mexico 1986 Brand Design

World Cup Spain 1982 Brand Design

World Cup Argentina 1978 Brand Design

World Cup West Germany 1974 Brand Design

World Cup Mexico 1970 Brand Design

World Cup England 1966 Brand Design

I think France 1998 has nailed their branding well. Which one is your favourite?