Really happy to see the warm reception to the Official Poster today. Lev Yashin is a legend & brilliant way to link the past to the present. pic.twitter.com/vHhGZXJ6yn
— Fatma Samoura (@fatma_samoura) November 28, 2017
CARSON, Calif. – The 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia less than 200 days away and ahead of the tournament next summer, FIFA unveiled the official match poster for the competition.
The poster, created by renowned Russian artist Igor Gurovich, pays special attention Russian accomplishments in the beautiful game and space exploration. The image depicts legendary Russian goalkeeper Lev Yashin reaching to make a save, batting away a ball that showcases a typical football from the ‘keeper’s era, while also portraying a vision of the landmass of Russia from space, a hat tip to the nation’s accomplishments in space exploration.
Yashin played in four World Cups – 1958, 1962, 1966, and 1970 and remains the only goalkeeper in history to win the Ballon d’Or. The poster is presented in the Soviet post-constructionist style which gained popularity in the 1920s and 1930s.“The style of Soviet post-Constructivist posters from the 1920s and 1930s, their unique visual language, a new, fresh poetry of figurative images, became one of the most important and revered elements of Russian culture,” said Gurovich in a statement. “This language is unquestionably thought of as Russian throughout the world. Therefore, in my work on the poster, I really wanted to make this language modern and relevant once again.”
Added Chairman of the Russia 2018 Local Organising Committee Vitaly Mutko, “It was very important for us to portray Russia as the Host Country in the Official Poster. That’s why we chose Lev Yashin, a symbol of Russian football, as the main figure. I’m sure that the poster will become one of the most memorable symbols of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia and that fans and participants alike will approve of it.”
The posters have become an iconic part of the World Cup’s history and below are a few of my favorites from throughout the tournament’s past.
World Cup 1930
World Cup 1950
World Cup 1966
World Cup 1970
World Cup 1994
World Cup 2006
World Cup 2014
A special nod must be given, however, to Robbie Rogers’ who implored fans to design a special edition of the World Cup poster to protest the host nation’s treatment of members of the LGBT community.
