One of the favorite things before and during a World Cup for enthusiasts, both young and old, is the official mascot. Present during the whole duration of the event and welcoming, inspiring and cheering fans along the way, they are not only a great way for the host country to embody its local traditions and customs and represent its culture, but mascots have also played a key role in promoting the tournament ever since the first official one was presented in the England World Cup of 1996, a lion named Willie.

 

Official Mascot of World Cup 2022

In April of this year during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Final Draw, FIFA and Qatar unveiled La’eeb, the Official Mascot for the Qatar World Cup 2022. La’eeb means super -skilled player in Arabic, and with Qatar offering so many cultural activities and this being the first World Cup held in the Middle East, he embodies the Arab and local traditions well, with the design is based on a Gutra, which is an Arabic headdress typical of Qatari clothing.

 

 

According to a statement by FIFA, “La’eeb encourages everyone to believe in themselves as ‘Now is All’. He will bring the joy of football to everyone.” He comes from a parallel world where other World Cup mascots live, as shown in a pretty imaginative video starring Moroccan-Swedish singer-songwriter and FIFA’s Creative Entertainment Executive, RedOne, where La’eeb explains how he has attended every FIFA World Cup and has even had a hand in some of history’s most notorious goals. He also mentions how mascots have been present since the beginning of football trying to inspire humans. In the video, mascots from other World Cups can be spotted, such as Juanito, the boy with the sombrero from Mexico World Cup 1970, Ciao from Italy World Cup 1990 and of course the first mascot, Willie the lion.

 

Even though many fans were left with doubts about what exactly La’eeb is and many taking to social media to compare La’eeb to Casper the ghost, a tissue, or a stingray, FIFA stated that he is whoever a fan wants him to be, a figment or your imagination. “We are sure fans everywhere will love this fun and playful character. La’eeb will play a vital role as we engage fans young and old in Qatar’s FIFA World Cup experience,” said Khalid Ali Al Mawlawi, Deputy Director General, Marketing, Communications and Tournament Experience, Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy. Fans will be able to download GIFs and stickers of La’eeb in many social media channels, such as Instagram, Tik Tok and Whatsapp.

 

Previous Mascots

With La’eeb included, there are now fifteen official World Cup mascots in FIFA’s history:

England 1966- World Cup Willie

Mexico 1970 – Juanito

Germany 1974 - Tip and Tap

Argentina 1978 - Gauchito Mundialito

Spain 1982 – Naranjito

Mexico 1986 – Pique

Italy 1990 – Ciao

USA 1994 – Striker

France 1998 – Footix

Korea Japan 2002 - The Spheriks: Ato, Kaz and Nik

Germany 2006 - Goleo VI and Pille

South Africa 2010 – Zakumi

Brazil 2014 – Fuleco

Russia 2018 – Zabivaka

Qatar 2022 - La'eeb

 

They have become the symbols of the World Cup and many have become favorites and will continue to live in the memories of fans throughout the years.

​