PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Philadelphia Flower Show on Wednesday was the colorful and fragrant backdrop for the unveiling of the city's official poster for FIFA World Cup 26—as a floral interpretation.
Pittsburgh artist Nick McClintock, winner of the FIFA World Cup 26 Philadelphia Poster Contest, says his design blends the feel of the city and the feel of the sport.
“I really got a lot of inspiration from the architecture and layout of the city of Philadelphia and incorporating the energy of soccer into that,” he said.
McClintock says winning is exciting, but seeing such a creative interpretation of his design made the smell of victory all the sweeter.
“The amount of detail they were able to put into this made entirely of flowers is still blowing my mind.”
As Meg Kane, host city executive for Philadelphia Soccer 2026, explained, the occasion called for a little something special, so they decided to run a statewide design contest. More than 400 submissions were narrowed down to 10 finalists that best represented the vibrant soccer culture and artistic spirit of the commonwealth.
“We are so excited, because it’s the first poster to be revealed of any of the 16 host cities for FIFA World Cup 26,” Kane said. “We were able to reveal it today at the PHS Flower Show in flowers. Absolutely amazing.”
Traditionally, FIFA has designed an official poster for each year of the tournament, but for the first time, FIFA World Cup 26 will feature unique posters created for each of the 16 North American host cities. FIFA World Cup 26 will be the largest FIFA competition ever, with 48 teams playing over 100 matches in three countries.
“I’m gonna celebrate. And I’m very excited about the World Cup now. And to be a little part of that is really thrilling,” said McClintock
“I gotta go—if I can get some tickets.”
The Philadelphia poster will remain on view at the Flower Show through March 9.