The story behind early World Cup posters
As fans continue to celebrate the Qatar 2022 World Cup, we thought it was worth looking back on the legacy that this tournament has had – not just on the world of sport, but also on major historical factors like nation-building and socio-cultural movements.
The poster for each World Cup tournament has played a part in reflecting the concerns of the host nation, as well as offering us a piece of history.
Let’s take a look at the stories behind some of the iconic early FIFA World Cup posters:
1. Uruguay, 1930
It’s hard to believe it now, but the first World Cup all the way back in 1930 was a rather muted affair. Only 13 teams took part in the tournament in Uruguay (and only four from Europe, considered to be the biggest footballing continent).
The poster for the World Cup was designed by Uruguayan artist Guillermo Laborde. The oil painting features a minimal rendering of a goalkeeper jumping to catch a ball which is headed for the top corner of the goal.
Laborde, along with several other artists, was a founder of the “Planismo” art movement, which was named after the common trait they shared, whereby they painted in austere, geometric “planes” with bright colours.
As World Cup posters go, this first one helped set a trend that posters could be art pieces, as well as reflect national cultural movements.
Uruguay, 1930 – Guillermo Laborde
Italy, 1934 – Gino Boccasile
2. Italy, 1934
Designed by Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, this poster stressed the ‘national’ element of what the World Cup was all about – with flags playing a prominent feature here, ribboned diagonally in the backdrop.
Much has been made about the fact that the 1934 World Cup took place while Italy was under the grip of fascist leader Benito Mussolini (indeed, many have said that the image of a strong, muscular, Italian-shirt-wearing football player is part of Mussolini’s idealism of fascism).
This might be a stretch, as the poster could hardly be said to outwardly emphasise fascist propaganda. But nevertheless, it did stress the idea that World Cups were fierce competitions, where nations could showcase pride in their nationality.
3. France, 1938
As with Italy four years earlier, the World Cup poster for France 1938 gives a fascinating insight into the political and historical contexts of the time.
With Europe in a precarious position and very much on the brink of war, the 1938 World Cup – as with the 1936 Olympics in Berlin – served as an opportunity for nations to assert their sporting prowess in front of each other.
In Henri Desmé lithographs, a heroic realism style was used, with a strong geopolitical character. The poster seems to scream: “The winner can dominate the world, or bring it under his heel.” With hindsight, this poster has only become more fascinating.
France, 1938 – Henri Desmé
Brazil, 1950 – J. Ney Damasceno
4. Brazil, 1950
Flashforward, then, to 12 years later. Following the upheavals of the Second World War, there was uncertainty about whether an international tournament like the World Cup might ever take place in the same way again.
But in the poster for the Brazil World Cup in 1950, there seems to be an outwardly positive perspective about this international event. Look at how every country’s flag is present, look at the backdrop of the Brazilian landscapes, and look at how the poster stresses the importance of the ‘Taça Jules Rimet’. Unlike pre-WWII posters, the Brazil 1950 poster is inviting and cheerful in how it presents the competition between nations.
5. Switzerland, 1954
It seems incredible to think, but it wasn’t until the 1954 World Cup in Switzerland that major camera crews actually turned up to broadcast matches live on TV. As football came to dominate the world of sport, popularity in the World Cup grew on both a national and international level.
Against this backdrop, Swiss artist Herbert Leupin designed one of the most uniquely strange World Cup posters to have ever existed. A commercial artist who produced work for multinationals like Coca-Cola, Leupin was also fascinated by magic realism. It comes through in this poster, with the darkened face of the goalkeeper – who has clearly just been bested by a strike which hits the net – being incredibly arresting.
Just as football was about to come into its confident commercial age, artists like Leupin were keeping things decidedly weird and interesting on the artist front.
Switzerland, 1954 – Herbert Leupin
Sweden, 1958 – Beka
6. Sweden, 1958
Compared to the unique artistic nature of Leupin’s design, the 1958 World Cup poster was relatively straightforward. In fact, art historians have said that this design is typical of the minimalist Swedish style of the time.
The classic tropes of national flags, multiple languages, and the silhouetted image of a player kicking the ball into the sky all make this poster quite broad in its appeal (if not slightly unmemorable).
7. Chile, 1962
This intriguing design, created by Chilean graphic artist Galvarino Ponce, focuses on some international preoccupations that were apparent in the early 1960s.
With its focus on the world as seen from space, it seems to highlight the space-age concerns of the era.
But what’s equally as interesting is the highlighting of Chile on the map – a small sliver of orange on the western side of South America. Considering that Chile was still a modestly sized footballing nation, this poster appears to be, quite literally, putting them on the map…
Chile, 1962 – Galvarino Ponce
England, 1966 – Richard Culley and Reginald Hoy
8. England, 1966
The 1966 World Cup saw the tournament enter a new era. Not only were fans interested in the tournament – but advertisers, merchandisers, and broadcasters also saw how this quadrennial event could truly be a commercial goldmine for them.
As if in preparation for this, England unveiled their World Cup poster, which features the competition’s first-ever mascot, World Cup Willie, a lion who embodied the British spirit (or something to that effect).
You can be cynical about the approach, but World Cup Willie merchandise was sold in bucketloads throughout the country, and money began to be invested in football on an even bigger scale after this event.
With the 1966 poster, the scene was already being set for the modern footballing era…
9. Mexico, 1970
In contrast to the design for the England 1966 poster, Mexico’s poster was very much a departure.
There are no flags here, no mascots, and no geographical markers. This sparse poster, with its football pictogram and curved, arcade game-esque typography, stressed football above all else…
Mexico, 1970
West Germany, 1974 – Fritz Genkinger
10. West Germany, 1974
Designed by artist Fritz Genkinger, the poster for West Germany 1974 is strikingly expressionistic – and very different to the posters which came before.
Look at the broad strokes, the heavy use of colour, and how the image conveys a sense of motion, muscularity, and physical prowess.
The poster design also came at a time when these iconic posters were finding themselves on museum walls, postage stamps, and in history textbooks. Genkinger might well have been wanting to leave his mark on the World Cup history canon…
11. Argentina, 1978
This incredible pointillist design took World Cup posters in yet another new direction, reflecting new concerns and ideas.
Against the backdrop of an internationally criticised military coup in Argentina in 1976, the nation was trying to put its most charming foot forward for this event. The poster clearly focuses on the joys of the game (rather than political concerns), with two players hugging – presumably after scoring a goal.
Argentina, 1978
World cup legacies
In its first 50 years, World Cup posters offered opportunities for nationalism, commercialism, and artist ideas to flourish – often depending on the host nation and the artist.
As the tournament moved into the modern era, posters would become more commercial in their approach, so there’s a lot to be fascinated about in these early images.
