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3 North American FIFA mascots introduced in Philadelphia as anticipation for 2026 World Cup matches builds

By
Krystle Rich
Krystle Rich
Krystle Rich is the newest edition to the CBS New York sports team.
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Krystle Rich,
Adam Fox

/ CBS Philadelphia

As anticipation builds for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America — including several matches in Philadelphia — the three mascots representing the host nations made their debuts in the City of Brotherly Love.

Representing Canada is Maple the Moose, meant to embody the true north's spirit and creativity.

Zayu the Jaguar exemplifies Mexico's strength and agility and has electric dance moves.

And representing the United States is Clutch the Bald Eagle.

The mascots greeted fans as they went through a tryout process to volunteer for the World Cup. Philadelphia is one of 16 host cities selected across the three host nations. 

"Once I heard that Philadelphia was one of the hosting cities for FIFA, I thought, 'Yeah, I need to come out here and re-ignite my interest and get back to soccer,'" said Kelsey Wang, a volunteer hopeful.

Wang and the other prospective volunteers watched an introductory video and were interviewed by former volunteers while Maple, Zayu and Clutch hyped up the crowd.

"Everyone is coming from different places from around the world and the mascots represent the culture, history, the passion," said volunteer Krish Patel.

Volunteer tryouts continue into December.

Wang said she hopes Philly sports fans' fervent excitement for local teams will translate to the World Cup matches.

"People in Philly are very excited about sports. People are excited about the Phillies and Eagles. I think it's going to be wild," Wang said. "People will be so excited for soccer."

Over 26,000 people from the Philadelphia area alone have applied to be a volunteer. The tryouts will whittle that number down to 3,500 volunteers.

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