Artists from Mexico, Canada and the U.S. seek hope, unity and cultural diversity amid global tensions.

As the aggressive rhetoric of U.S. President Donald Trump strains international relations, artists Minerva GM (Mexico), Carson Ting (Canada) and Hank Willis Thomas (United States), creators of the 2026 World Cup poster, defended the power of art and soccer to build bridges where diplomacy appears to have stalled.

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“If three artists from different backgrounds can come to an agreement, why couldn’t we do the same globally? Maybe it takes months, but in the end it gets resolved,” the Mexican illustrator explained. She was responsible for designing the Mexican section of the World Cup poster for the tournament, which will be held in Canada, the United States and Mexico from June 11 to July 19.

The artwork, which joins the long tradition of official posters that have accompanied the World Cup since the inaugural edition in 1930 FIFA World Cup in Uruguay, is a collage divided into three sections with red tones (Canada), blue tones (United States) and green tones (Mexico), incorporating cultural references representative of each country.

“The collage was what best united our voices. Carson focused on Canada’s fauna and flora; Hank on an abstraction of the U.S. flag; and I decided to focus on the fans, on the people who love soccer, because in Mexico it is the sport above all others,” Minerva GM said.

The segment dedicated to Mexico includes an eagle — featured on the national emblem — dahlias, a trumpet, a maraca and a mariachi hat. Canada’s section incorporates the maple leaf and emblematic animals such as a moose, a goose and a blue jay, while the U.S. section stands out for its blue, red and white stripes and stars, the colors of its flag.

 A Symbol of Hope

Canadian artist Carson Ting revealed that the artwork’s main objective was “for the public to feel that there is hope and that the future is bright, despite everything happening in the world.”

To convey that message, he said they introduced a key element near the end of the process: a white background reflecting “positive light.”

“At first, the poster’s background was black. It looked very powerful, but it didn’t convey the positive energy we were looking for. As soon as we changed it to white, everything changed; people gravitated toward that light. Every day there was news of war on the broadcasts, and that gave us more fuel to push this project toward a positive light. The World Cup is about humanity and setting aside our differences,” he said.

The soccer fan explained that in his section he introduced a rainbow “symbolizing Canada’s diversity,” as well as a goose wearing the hat of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and a blue jay with a snowboard “to make it fun and lighthearted.”

“I’ve worked for Nike, Adidas and the NBA, but this is the biggest tournament in FIFA history, and being responsible for representing it is surreal,” he concluded.

Millions of Eyes Fixed on the Ball

Hank Willis Thomas, an American artist whose works have been exhibited at Museum of Modern Art and Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, emphasized that the collaboration allowed “very different voices, opinions and aesthetics to come together in a cohesive style” that fused the artists’ minds.

That creative union, he said, is a preview of what will happen during the World Cup, when “the eyes of millions of people focus on a single event, and we all become one as we follow the ball in anticipation.”

The acclaimed African American conceptual artist, creator of the monument The Embrace in Boston, offered in his section of the collage a reflection on “how the flag can mean so many different things to so many different people, at a time of great polarization in American society.”

“My section is about the fabric of America, that patchwork. I wanted to represent the diversity of identities that make up the country,” he concluded.

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE

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