Football, ca. 1980
Steve Kuzma
G & O Art
Pelé kissing the World Cup Trophy, 2013
Terry O'Neill
Trimper Gallery
Whether you call it football or soccer, fútbol, or futebol, the sport is no doubt going to be everywhere this summer thanks to the FIFA World Cup 2026. The most-watched sporting event on the planet, the World Cup will take place this year across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, marking the first time three nations have co-hosted the tournament.
With the first game kicking off on June 11th, World Cup fever is already spreading in the art world. Artsy asked a cross-section of artists, curators, and gallerists for their predictions and highlights, plus the one artist they’d tap to design a jersey.
J. Rachel Gustafson, chief curatorial officer at the Norton Museum of Art
Who they’re supporting
I love the upsets when an underdog comes through and surprises everyone. For that reason, I will be keeping my eyes on Japan.
What they’re looking forward to
Sweat and camaraderie. For me, the World Cup has great summertime memories attached to it, where being hot and a bit sweaty is intertwined with the excitement and fast pace of the game itself. Even if your group of friends is rooting for the other team, everyone is so darn happy—really, elated—to watch how things unfold.
And if your team loses, I find that the happiness does not dampen. The camaraderie and exhilaration of close calls are a joyful combination no matter the outcome. So, find some shade and some good friends, and you will have a full summer of soccer-laced memories.
This Manifestation of Historical Restlessness, (from Robin's Intimacy), 2022
Julie Mehretu
Gemini G.E.L.
The artist they’d tap to design a soccer jersey
Julie Mehretu. Her fluid and expressive lines so closely align with the sport’s movements. Lyrical, unpredictable, and energized.
Charles Hascoët, artist
Who they’re supporting
I’ve been a devout Paris Saint-Germain fan since my teenage years, so the club will always come first in my heart. But if France lifts the trophy, I certainly won’t complain.
France over Spain in the final. Thanks to a goal by Ousmane Dembélé following a pass by Michael Olise.
What they’re looking forward to
The underdogs, the creative players, the unexpected moments. Once the politicians and FIFA officials fade into the background, what’s left is pure passion and next-level football. That’s always the best part.
The artist they’d tap to design a soccer jersey
I’d be curious to see what [fashion designers] Miguel Adrover or Karim Hadjab could do. But after all, a shirt is only truly designed by the players wearing it. Some of history’s ugliest kits became the most iconic artifacts because inspired players transcended them into something else entirely.
Lyndon Barrois Sr., artist
Who they’re supporting
I’m a fan of long shots. Senegal is definitely up there. How cool would that be, to see a sub-Saharan country take a championship home? And then Portugal. Cristiano Ronaldo has no rings, so it’d be cool to see the 41-year-old get one.
What they’re looking forward to
How many fans will show up due to all the price-gouging that’s going on? We can’t act like it isn’t happening. It’s far beyond what happens on the pitch.
The artist they’d tap to design a soccer jersey
Melissa Koby. She is an exceptional graphic artist, and her medium of using cut paper is marvelous. Her clean, crisp lines and color palette would translate to excellent jersey designs.
Touria El Glaoui, founding director of 1-54 art fairs
Younes’s Back, 2012/1433
Hassan Hajjaj
L'Atelier 21
Who they’re supporting
Morocco, obviously. I have already prepared myself emotionally for the celebrations. But I’ll also be fully Team Africa: South Africa, Egypt, Ghana, Senegal, Tunisia, Algeria, Ivory Coast, and Cape Verde.
What they’re looking forward to
Morocco winning.
The artist they’d tap to design a soccer jersey
Hassan Hajjaj, without hesitation. He already made an incredible piece for [Morocco captain] Achraf Hakimi, so he is more than ready. And since Morocco is clearly winning the World Cup…it has to be a Moroccan artist.
Massimo De Carlo, founder of MASSIMODECARLO
System Black IV, 2024
Ludovic Nkoth
MASSIMODECARLO
Who they’re supporting
BRAZIL.
What they’re looking forward to
Hope to see some great new players and new teams.
The artist they’d tap to design a soccer jersey
Ludovic Nkoth and Elmgreen & Dragset!
Roger Tatley, senior director at Goodman Gallery
Who they’re supporting
Senegal. It’s way beyond time for our continent to win it. My club loyalties tell the story: Chelsea in the U.K., Orlando Pirates—Soweto’s finest since 1937—in South Africa, and Fluminense FC in Brazil, thanks to Lygia Clark’s wonderful extended family, who helped me fall under their spell in Rio.
What they’re looking forward to
South Africa. The Bafana Bafana supporters’ kudu-horn Kuduzelas and Vuvuzelas versus the Mexicans’ matracas and redoblantes drums should bring the noise before both teams’ first kick-off.
Peasant Revolt II, 2024
William Kentridge with Greta Goiris
Goodman Gallery
The artist they’d tap to design a soccer jersey
William Kentridge. The remarkable concertina-folded paper and fabric garments he and costume designer Greta Goiris make would look incredible flying down the wing.
Lee Cavailaire, director of VOLTA art fairs
Magical Thinking, 2024
Grayson Perry
MLTPL
Who they’re supporting
I haven’t the faintest idea who’ll win. But when Spain won [in 2010], the party in central London was pretty epic.
The artist they’d tap to design a soccer jersey
Grayson Perry. I think the sport could do with challenging its strong male persona. Some frills would liven the whole thing up.
Bosco Sodi, artist
Pile Up: High relief n°B12, 2018
Daniel Buren
Lisson Gallery
Who they’re supporting
Mexico. I have tickets for all of their games, and I’m expecting them to go to the quarterfinals.
What they’re looking forward to
The World Cup always surfaces so many artists who love football. I play and watch games with many of them. There’s a whole community around it.
Who they think will win
England or Spain.
The artist they’d tap to design a soccer jersey
It’s my dream to one day design the Mexico jersey. But if I had to choose someone else, I would love to see a jersey by Daniel Buren.
Jennifer Scott, director of Dulwich Picture Gallery
Cartwheel of Dreams, 2025
Yinka Ilori
Cristea Roberts Gallery
Who they’re supporting
Brazil. They always have incredible talent.
What they’re looking forward to
France. I’m excited to see how their next generation of players performs on the biggest stage.
The artist they’d tap to design a soccer jersey
Vivien Zhang. Her color palette is fantastic, and there’s something both dynamic and organic about her work that would translate really well to a football jersey.
Aziz Isham, executive director at the Museum of the Moving Image
One Year Performance 1981-198, 1981-1982
Tehching Hsieh
Taipei Fine Arts Museum
Who they’re supporting
I always like to cheer for the underdog, and one of the teams I’m pulling for this year is Morocco. I lived in Tangier in my twenties, and it was the first time that I was exposed to real soccer culture.
What they’re looking forward to
Iran v. New Zealand in L.A., [which] is home to the largest Iranian community outside Iran, and there will be a lot of feelings. I don’t know much about them, but I do know that it’s going to feel really good—and maybe cathartic—to be cheering together that day.
The artist they’d tap to design a soccer jersey
Tehching Hsieh. I’m dying to see his retrospective at Dia Beacon, and I like the idea of jerseys that are connected to each other by eight-foot ropes or something.
Mariët Westermann, director and CEO of the Guggenheim Museum
Dress, autumn/winter 2013– 14
Iris van Herpen
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Who they’re supporting
I’ve been a devoted Netherlands fan since I was eight years old, though I always cheer for the U.S.
when they’re not playing the Dutch.
What they’re looking forward to
I’m especially looking forward to welcoming soccer fans, art lovers, New Yorkers, and visitors from around the world to the Guggenheim to celebrate the beautiful game played at World Cup level. We’re presenting Zidane: a 21st-century portrait (2006), a fan-favorite video work by Douglas Gordon and Philippe Parreno [that] illustrates the remarkable intersection and artistry of contemporary art and sport.
We’ll also be livestreaming matches on Friday afternoons at Frank’s Pub—a pop-up space hosted inside a UNESCO World Heritage site, no less.
Ensemble, 2024
Sanford Biggers
MASSIMODECARLO
The artist they’d tap to design a soccer jersey
I’d love to see Iris van Herpen design a Netherlands jersey—as long as it remains orange—or Sanford Biggers create a jersey for the U.S.
Martin Clark, director of Camden Art Centre
I Think About Football, 2023
David Shrigley
FairArt
Who they’re supporting
I’m supporting England, and I have to say I’m excited to see how Thomas Tuchel does—I love that he’s our first German manager.
What they’re looking forward to
I’ll go for England to go out in the semis, France to win it. (As my son Oscar put it when I asked him: “Dembélé, Kylian Mbappé, Désiré Doué, and Olise!”)
Abstraktes Bild (P1), 1990/2014
Gerhard Richter
EARLH
The artist they’d tap to design a football jersey
David Shrigley is a big football fan. He’d perfectly capture those timeless feelings of naive and baseless optimism, creeping anxiety, inevitable disappointment, and defiant self-deprecating humor. All of which goes to make up the rich and irreplaceable experience of supporting the England men’s team.
Or, with the Tuchel connection this year: Gerhard Richter. One of the mid-1980s “Abstraktes Bild” squeegee paintings as an all-over print. I’d wear that.
