On the occasion of a major sporting event, eagerly awaited by fans of the round-ball game, Romfilatelia and Romanian Post introduce into circulation on Thursday, June 11th the philatelic issue entitled THE 2026 WORLD CUP, consisting of two postage stamps and a First Day Cover.
The 2026 World Cup, now in its 23rd edition, is the most important international football competition between nations. The tournament will take place from June 11th to July 19th, 2026. It will be jointly hosted by 16 cities across three nations. The main host for the matches is the United States of America, while Canada and Mexico will serve as co-hosts. For the first time since 2002, the tournament will be hosted by more than one nation.
This tournament will be the first to include 48 teams, up from 32. The United States 2026 bid defeated a rival bid from Morocco during the final vote at the 68th FIFA Congress in Moscow. With its hosting of the 1970 and 1986 tournaments, Mexico will become the first country to host or co-host the men’s World Cup three times. The United States previously hosted the 1994 World Cup, whilst Canada will be hosting or co-hosting the men’s tournament for the first time. The event will also return to the traditional Northern Hemisphere summer schedule, following the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which took place in November–December.
As host nations, Canada, Mexico, and the United States have automatically qualified. Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan, and Uzbekistan will be making their World Cup debuts. Argentina is the defending champion after winning its third title at the 2022 tournament.
Initially, 23 cities across the three countries announced their intention to host matches. Seventeen were in the United States, three in Canada, and three in Mexico. Subsequently, in 2021, FIFA selected 16 of these cities: two in Canada, 11 in the United States, and three in Mexico.
The first postage stamp, graphically rendered in the form of a medal, depicts a dynamic and frequently encountered match situation in which two opposing players compete for possession of the football. The ball is imagined as a symbol of planisphere.
The second postage stamp, also rendered in a medallic style, depicts a moment in which a goalkeeper confidently catches a ball sent toward the goal.
The two postage stamps feature elements at the top that suggest a nocturnal scene, visible under UV light. The face values are for reference only.
The First Day Cover depicts the idea of football as a sport belonging to all continents, symbolised by a ball and around the ball being depicted with the flags of the participating countries rendered around the ball in this eagerly anticipated sporting competition.
The First Day postmark is depicted as a football pitch, with the colour green evoking the turf.
Romfilatelia thanks the representatives of the Romanian Football Federation for the collaboration in the development of this postage stamp issue.
