By Heather Taylor, Editor-in-Chief, PopIcon
Officially, the FIFA World Cup 2026 has three mascots: Maple the Moose (Canada), Zayu the Jaguar (Mexico) and Clutch the Bald Eagle (USA). Unofficially, we’re doling out an honorable mention to McDonald’s beloved Grimace. The tournament has only begun, but the purple icon is already shaping up to be the competition’s biggest fan.
McDonald’s, the official sponsor of the FIFA World Cup 2026, made the savvy decision to let Grimace represent the brand in this year’s marketing push. The brand mascot is the only non-soccer icon to be featured on one of nine collectible cups in the new FIFA World Cup 26 Meal from the fast-food chain.
While we don’t know why Grimace was chosen in lieu of another McDonaldland asset, we have some educated guesses gleaned from years of reporting on the character. Previously, Grimace showed off his athletic side when he threw a pitch at a 2024 New York Mets game.
June is also Grimace’s birthday month. You might recall he received his very own birthday meal in 2023, complete with a purple shake.
Our math is as follows. Grimace’s love for sports + a timely birthday + his goofy, yet endearing personality = one of the best brand mascots to receive FIFA World Cup visibility.
So far, Grimace has been having a ball celebrating with his biggest hits shared via social media. He’s played (light) indoor soccer at McDonald’s with some of the biggest players in the world like Lamine Yamal, Son Heung-Min, and David Beckham.
A few days later, the FIFA World Cup mascot trio were invited to celebrate Grimace’s birthday. Grimace started the day GRWM-style on TikTok as he put on a special jersey and birthday hat and rode a party bus to McDonald’s with the characters.
They played soccer outside before heading inside to feast on the FIFA World Cup 26 Meal. As for which collectible cup everyone got, Maple, Zayu, Clutch, and Grimace all ended up getting the Grimace cup. What are the odds?!
Grimace’s most prolific moment in the spotlight (so far) put him on pitch at one of the FIFA World Cup events this past weekend. Towards the end of the TikTok video, Grimace confesses he made “one tinyy wish” to end up here.
Maybe it was his birthday wish being granted already! We plan to stay connected with Grimace’s adventures through the McDonald’s social media accounts throughout the FIFA World Cup. Who knows where he’ll end up next?
Image Credits: McDonald’s
About the Author
Heather Taylor is the senior writer and editor-in-chief of PopIcon, Advertising Week’s blog about brand mascots. Got a pitch on brand mascots or want to wax nostalgic about characters? Drop her a line at howveryheather@gmail.com.
