SOCCER: History of FIFA World Cup mascots infographic
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History of FIFA World Cup mascots infographic
Graphic shows FIFA World Cup mascots 1966-2022, with profile of La’eeb, Qatar’s mystifying World Cup mascot.
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SOCCER

History of FIFA World Cup mascots

By Chris Dinsdale

November 20, 2022 - December 18, 2022 - The FIFA World Cup takes place in Qatar, with 32 teams competing to be crowned World Champions. Introduced for the 1966 World Cup, official mascots have become synonymous with the defining characteristics of a host nation -- injecting a bit of fun and frivolity as well as promoting lucrative tournament merchandise.

The creators of La’eeb – Qatar’s World Cup mascot — say it hails from a parallel “mascot-verse” that is indescribable – adding that people are invited to interpret what they think it looks like.

Although left unclear, with no fixed anthropomorphic identity, at first glance, La’eeb (meaning “super-skilled player” in Arabic) has the appearance of a gutra (aka ghutrah or keffiyeh) – the cloth headdress worn in Qatar.

Its gender has not been explicitly stated but FIFA describe it using male pronouns.

Sources
PUBLISHED: 10/11/2022; STORY: Graphic News; PICTURES: Getty Images
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