The quirky side of World Cup 2026 – in pictures
The Guardian rounds up the stranger photographs from the 2026 World Cup tournament. Highlights include 'Merlin' the duck, who became a viral mascot in Mexico, met President Claudia Sheinbaum, was banned from a match, and featured on a commemorative lottery ticket. Other images show an Ecuador player mimicking Edvard Munch's 'The Scream', container cranes in Seattle welcoming Bosnia and Herzegovina and Qatar, a sheep among fans celebrating Mexico's victory over Czechia, a Thai fan with a Kylian Mbappé haircut, an England fan in a baked bean and fried egg head covering, a Mexico fan in a toy Cybertruck with his dog, DJ Steve Aoki caking a presenter at half-time of the Norway v England quarter-final, and a panda at Taipei City Zoo enjoying a World Cup-themed ice cake. The gallery captures the lighter, more unusual moments of the global sporting event.
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