The upcoming Soccer World Cup is scheduled to be held June 11th to July 19th in three countries – the U.S.A., Canada and Mexico.
Since there are three countries, there are three mascots, one for each country, authorized by FIFA, the international soccer governing body.
The official mascots are Maple the Moose, Zayu the Jaguar, and Clutch the Bald Eagle:
Maple represents Canada, Zayu represents Mexico, and Clutch represents the U.S.A.
Here’s another view of the trio:
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Maple, Zayu and Clutch are the official FIFA mascots. But Mexico City has its own mascot, the axolotl, a type of salamander endemic to the city. Click here for my previous article about the fascinating axolotl. Here is a photo of a real axolotl:
So while Zayu the Jaguar is the official FIFA mascot for the country of Mexico, the axolotl is the mascot of Mexico City, as proclaimed by Clara Brugada, Jefa de Gobierno of Mexico City. See Is Mexico City Being “Axolotlized” ?
Here’s the axolotl playing with kids.
Here’s an axolotl in front of Mexico City’s World Cup stadium:
