U.S. Soccer’s 2026 World Cup mascot is a complete joke

U.S. Soccer unveiled its 2026 World Cup mascot today, and the reception from fans has been less than stellar. The name Banner is fine, but going with a dog as a mascot over a very obvious choice is what has fans up in arms.

U.S. Soccer’s World Cup mascot should have been an eagle:

Inspired by our country’s national anthem, we are excited to announce our mascot’s name!

Introducing Banner! 🇺🇸⚽️ pic.twitter.com/Fs5QwhxbEd

— U.S. Soccer (@ussoccer) December 15, 2025

Sadly, this World Cup continues to prove itself to be an America Last event. This was pretty much the easiest part of the entire planning process for U.S. Soccer, and they bungled it immediately.

In what way does a dog represent the United States? An eagle is quite literally the most recognizable symbol in American culture. Some others come to mind as well, but I’m just so baffled that eagle wasn’t the first and only choice on the board.

I’m also just out on dog mascots in general. The Sixers have one, Franklin, and I literally started a paramilitary group whose sole goal is to have him removed from his post.

Random dog mascots make no sense. It’s lazy. It’s one thing if your team name is a dog; then have at it. Just slapping a jersey on a dog costume and calling it a mascot is stupid and lazy beyond belief.

Even if you didn’t go with an eagle, the World Cup mascot could have been anything other than a dog. You could have gone with a Statue of Liberty situation, and it would have played.

But, no. We get a dumb dog in a soccer jersey. Not only is this totally not creative, but it’s also downright anti-American. U.S. Soccer fans deserve better than this.

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