The World Cup is billed as an event that occurs every four years, and literally speaking that’s true. The 2018 event is over: France won the Cup, and the festivities have already moved on from Russia. It’ll be another four years before the world gathers again, this time in Qatar, to watch what many believe to be the best sporting event – if not the best cultural gathering – on the planet.
But while the World Cup may not officially be held again until 2022, its influence on the world of sport never seems to go away completely. The ball had hardly stopped rolling, for instance, when the soccer-loving community started talking about what impact the tournament might have on individual players. The thinking is that some players could be on the move in their domestic leagues, based in part on how they competed in the World Cup. In this sense, the tournament has lasting influence for all of the 2018/19 season. And beyond this, 2020 will bring the beginning of the two-year qualifying process that decides who will compete in Qatar. Considering all of this, it’s fair to say the World Cup always looms over the sport.
What this means for the U.S. these days is that the 2026 World Cup – which is being hosted by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico – will be here before we know it. And the last few years before the Cup should be more exciting in the host country than anywhere else, as preparations for hosting will be underway. That doesn’t mean a whole lot of construction in the U.S. as it does in other places, given that we already have the stadiums and infrastructure. But rest assured if nothing else there will be a massive undertaking to hype the World Cup in America, and to whip a population that’s increasingly interested in soccer into a full frenzy.
That’s where – we hope – the street artist community comes into play. Back in May, we actually made note of Martin Ron painting a mural in Moscow in advance of the World Cup. The mural depicted a kid in the middle of a throw-in, and was a striking statement in all kinds of ways which we illuminated previously. Ultimately it was just one mural, but it calls to mind some interesting possibilities for 2026.
As we’ve established that the World Cup never sleeps, it might not be too early – even in the waning months of 2018 – to begin to imagine a nationwide street art campaign aimed at driving up interest in the 2026 World Cup. Soccer, in the United States, is something of a sleeping giant. It has by some measures surpassed baseball in popularity among young people, and there’s nothing to suggest that trajectory won’t continue over the next eight years. America is a nation full of people interested in soccer and waiting for an excuse to fall head-over-heels in love with it. Ultimately, that will best be accomplished by the establishment of a world-class U.S. star (possibly the young Christian Pulisic) or by strong showings from the U.S. national team in events like the 2022 Cup in Qatar. But a dedicated, guerrilla street art campaign loosely promoting the 2026 World Cup would theoretically drive up excitement as well.
Imagine some of the rundown buildings, the sides of parking decks, and the bare walls outside of subway stops that you often see in the blocks surrounding America’s stadiums. These are places that are already ripe for street art, and which could become marked – at first sporadically, and then densely – with soccer-promoting murals. There could be a blend of soccer history (images of Pele and Maradonna playing for their national teams), snapshots of current stars (like the breakthrough “Best Young Player” from the 2018 Cup, France’s Kylian Mbappé), images of children playing the sport, and of course promotions of the U.S. national team.
Street art, we know, is ultimately a way of weaving images and stories into the fabric of a city. As much as it might draw the eye and demand conversation, it can also have a subtler, more subconscious impact on viewers. And it’s for this reason that it could just end up playing a significant role in hyping the 2026 World Cup. And even though that the World Cup is eight years away, it’s not too early for the hype cycle to start.
