Fantasy football is all about the knowledge you have about the soccer world. Mascots are as much a part of the FIFA World Cup as the loud audiences, great goals and crooked refereeing decisions.

Since 1966, every host country has its own mascot who promotes the event. While you play the daily fantasy football game, you should know about the lucky charm of the host nations till date.

Let’s have a look back over the past FIFA World Cup mascots:

World Cup Willie – 1966

The mascot of host nation England, World Cup Willie was a lion, an animal which is synonymous with Britain and the English national side. This one is the first FIFA WC mascot and was created Reg Hoye, the man best known for illustrating Enid Blyton books.

Juanito – 1970

The mascot of host nation Mexico, Juanito represented the average football fan of Mexico. Juan is a common name in Spanish.

Tip and Tap – 1974

The mascot of host nation West Germany, Tip and Tap represented two boys wearing Germany kits, having letter WM and digits 74. WM stands for Weltmeisterschaft, World Cup.

Gauchito – 1978

The mascot of host nation Argentina, Gauchito was criticized for being looking similar to Mexican mascot, Juanito. The key difference is that he ears Argentinean colours and neckerchief.

Naranjito – 1982

The mascot of host nation Spain, Naranjito was an organge. This was a fruit synonymous with Spain. This mascot was the first one not to be a human.

Pique – 1986

The mascot of host nation Mexico, Pique was a jalapeno pepper. This is actually a Mexican food which is a large par of the nation’s cuisine.

Ciao – 1990

The mascot of host nation Italy, Ciao is normal Italian greating. It is a stick figure having colours of Italian flag and a football is used as the head. This was the first time football was used in mascot design.

Striker, the World Cup Pup – 1994

The mascot of host nation USA, Striker, the World Cup Pup was a dog designed by Warner Brothers. Dog was chosen simply as it is the popular pet in USA.

Footix – 1998

The mascot of host nation France, Footix is a cockerel. It is a traditional symbol of France. It has the words “France 98” on the chest.

Ato, Kaz, and Nik (The Spheriks) – 2002

The mascot of host nation South Korea and Japan, Ato, Kaz and Nik (The Spheriks) were for the first time computer generated and futuristic. A fictional sport of Atmoball has a team which has Ato (yellow/orange) as the coach and Kaz (purple) & Nik (blue) as the players of the team. interestingly, the colours do not have any connection with the host nation.

Goleo VI Sidekick: Pille – 2006

The mascot of host nation Germany, Goleo VI Sidekick: Pille is designed for younger audience. Goleo is the lion and Pille is a talking football.

Zakumi – 2010

The mascot of host nation South Africa, Zakumi is a leopard. The colours of yellow and green represented the South African colours. ZA means South Africa and Kumi means 10 in many African languages.

Fuleco – 2014

The mascot of host nation Brazil, Fuleco was Armadillo. Brazil sought to acknowledge environmental issues in the mascot design.

Zabivaka – 2018

The mascot of host nation Russia, Zabivaka signifies “one who scores” in Russian language. The name was selected through voting by over 1 million Russians.

Enjoy reading and playing fantasy football!