It’s been quite the year for football in Philadelphia — both American and European.
We’re all still basking in the Eagles’ Super Bowl win. And today, Philadelphia Soccer 2026 unveiled the official Host City poster design for the upcoming FIFA World Cup at the annual Philadelphia Flower Show.
The World Cup will take place next year, from June 11 to July 19. While the global soccer tournament is usually hosted by one country (most recently Qatar in 2022), the 2026 tournament will be co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada across 16 different cities – including Philadelphia.
The winning poster design comes from Pittsburgh artist Nicholas McClintock, who is a graphic designer and the co-founder of Xpogo LLC, a company working to legitimize the sport of extreme pogo sticking. As a part of his win, he will receive $7,500 and promotional opportunities leading up to the tournament.
Philadelphia’s FIFA World Cup 26 Host City Poster designed by Pittsburgh artist Nicholas McClintock (Photo courtesy of Philadelphia Soccer 2026)
The artwork was unveiled in dramatic fashion. Together, Meg Kane, Host City Executive and CEO of Philadelphia Soccer 2026, and Matt Rader, the president of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, revealed a giant, three-dimensional, 6-foot by 4-foot version of the poster created entirely from flowers.
“We want to show the world what Pennsylvania is all about — creativity, diversity and the spirit of community that makes the city of Philadelphia unique,” Rader said. “The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society is so proud to play a part in this global event. Philadelphia has always been the city of innovation, from the soccer field to our gardens.”
The design is a blue-and-yellow tribute to Philly’s signature colors, accented with pops of red. Three soccer balls zigzag like shooting stars across the canvas with a collage of Philly landmarks in the background. Iconic spots like City Hall, Boathouse Row, the art museum and more are included.
“The chance to design a poster for the FIFA World Cup, the largest sporting event on the planet, is just a wild opportunity for me,” said McClintock. “The excitement for me is being able to release a design out into the wild where it truly becomes the audience’s. It’s not mine anymore. Now it’s everybody’s.”
Since its inception, every World Cup tournament has had an official poster representing the character of its host nation. Because next year’s games are spread across multiple countries, each of the 16 host cities will have its own poster.
Five group stage games will be held at Lincoln Financial Field on June 14, 19, 22, 25 and 27. There will also be a special round-of-16 match on July 4 to celebrate the nation’s Semiquincentennial.
Designers at Valley Forge Flowers created a replica of the Philadelphia’s World Cup host city poster using preserved and spray-painted flower material. (Kimberly Paynter/WHYY)
“We are the first host city to reveal our poster and we knew we wanted to do something big in grand Philadelphia tradition,” said Kane. “I picked up the phone and I called Matt Rader, the president of PHS, and I said, ‘Matt this is probably the 400th crazy idea I brought to you.’ ”
According to Kane, Rader’s team recognized her “really fun and big idea” and “seized the moment.”
Amanda Tonkery and Ricky Van Vyven, floral designers at Valley Forge Flowers, created the floral poster from dried and preserved flowers. They said that the display took around 200 hours to create and includes a variety of spray-painted flowers such as roses, hydrangeas, palm leaves, amaranth, zoysia, yarrow, carnations and more.
“ Certain materials were harder to work with,” said Van Vyven. “The yellow streaks are pampas grass, which is very difficult to work with. It kind of shreds apart. Very stringy.”
He added, “We got it done, and we’re really happy with how it turned out.”
McClintock’s design was chosen from over 400 artists across the Commonwealth that sent in portfolio submissions for consideration. Only 10 were selected as finalists to create full poster designs.
“Pennsylvania is rich in world-class art and creativity – and Nick McClintock’s winning design will help show millions from around the world what our Commonwealth is all about when the FIFA World Cup comes to Philadelphia,” said Lori Shapiro, First Lady of Pennsylvania, in a statement. Shapiro did not participate in the unveiling, but was a part of the judging panel for McClintock’s design.
She added, “Pennsylvanians from all across the Commonwealth are ready to welcome fans in 2026 to the greatest sports city in the world.”
For those looking to purchase the Philly FIFA artwork, posters are expected to go on sale later this year. In the meantime, all are welcome to head over to the flower show and see the 3D display for themselves.