FIFA has found itself in a rare public relations storm after deleting one of its official promotional posters for the 2026 World Cup, following widespread fan outrage over the omission of Cristiano Ronaldo.
The incident has sparked a broader debate about representation, legacy, and who deserves to be the face of football’s biggest stage.
On November 19, FIFA published a dazzling poster on its official social media channels, billed simply as celebrating “42 countries. 1 dream.” The image featured a collage of some of the world’s biggest football stars—from Lionel Messi (Argentina) and Kylian Mbappé (France) to Erling Haaland (Norway) and Mohamed Salah (Egypt). What the poster didn’t include, however, shocked many football fans: was nowhere to be seen.
Instead of Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes was shown as the representative face for Portugal. Given Ronaldo’s global status—and the fact that he may be set to feature in his sixth World Cup—fans were quick to voice their frustration.
The reaction online was swift and intense. Fans across social media platforms expressed disbelief, anger, and even humiliation that one of football’s all-time greats had been excluded. Many questioned how a player of Ronaldo’s stature could be left out of such a marquee promotional piece.
Some users speculated that the poster’s omission was not an accident, but a deliberate snub—perhaps a sign that FIFA’s priorities are shifting toward younger or more marketable stars.Others framed it as a disrespect to Ronaldo’s legacy and influence.
Faced with mounting criticism, FIFA quietly removed the poster from its official X (formerly Twitter) account within hours.No formal statement was initially released, but the deletion itself was seen as an acknowledgment of the backlash.
FIFA followed up by posting a revised version of the promotional poster—this time including Ronaldo, as well as other players previously left out. For example, the new design adds Luka Modrić (Croatia) back into the mix, a figure who was absent in the original version.
The episode highlights a challenge for FIFA as it gears up for the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted across Mexico, the United States, and Canada. With a tournament already generating global buzz, the organization may have underestimated how sensitive its audience is to exclusion, especially when it involves a legend like Ronaldo.