Lego assembles football’s greatest for FIFA World Cup 2026

The Lego Group is subtly but effectively widening its appeal, launching a star-studded football campaign ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026.

While shopping for gifts for my nieces, I’ve found myself increasingly drawn to the Lego aisle, more for my own amusement.

I was considering purchasing the Lego Great Pyramid (appreciating how it honours the monolith’s original limestone formation), and now it turns out the Lego World Cup is vying for my attention too.

‘Everyone Wants a Piece’ piqued my interest due to its loving fan service. I’m a fairly casual football follower nowadays, but frankly if you unite four of the planet’s biggest soccerball icons: Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappé, Lionel Messi and Vinícius Jr. and make minifigures out of them, you have my attention.

The campaign centres on the new Lego Editions platform, a collectable line that connects young fans with their heroes through detailed, display-worthy builds packed with personal easter eggs.

At the heart of the launch is a 60-second in-house produced film in which the four superstars, shown in a sleek, minimalist setting, race to build the Lego Editions FIFA World Cup Official Trophy. The spot captures the playful rivalry and shared joy of creation.

The product range is impressive in both scale and personality.

The Football Highlights sets (around 490-510 pieces) for ages 10+ place each player on a large letter-shaped base reflecting their national colours and jersey number.

Fans can discover hidden details referencing career milestones: Ronaldo’s CR7 branding and bicycle-kick pose, Mbappé’s explosive speed cues, Messi’s iconic celebration, and Vini Jr.’s Brazilian flair. Larger sets include the 854-piece Cristiano Ronaldo Football Legend (with Siuuu and bicycle-kick options), the 958-piece Lionel Messi Football Legend (victory and dribbling poses), and the substantial 1,427-piece Lionel Messi Celebration wall art. A dedicated LEGO Editions FIFA World Cup Official Trophy set completes the collection.

Julia Goldin, chief marketing and product officer at The LEGO Group, said: “With these new sets we’re bringing the thrill of football to life in a way that allows fans to build, create and celebrate.”

Our take

Lego’s recent footsteps into AI caused some controversy, covered on these pages. As the landscape evolves, however, I’m tempted to reframe the move as ‘just one of Lego’s increasingly diverse offerings’.

There’s no tech involved in the recent launch, and no reason to assume there might be. Gimmicks have not come to define Lego in any meaningful way, which is a difficult achievement given the diversity of its offerings.

The brand has long excelled at turning childhood heroes into bricky dreams, from Star Wars and Harry Potter to Marvel and Formula 1. This campaign feels like a natural evolution and a subtle step up in ambition, which I’d put down to the admirable attention to detail and scale, but crucially, a focus on storytelling: something we bang on about a lot here.

Increasingly, Lego is covering all bases, appealing authentically to both kids and nostalgic adult fans. Like me.