One of the most beloved mascots of the Brazilian people, Canarinho Pistola will not be able to be in the field following closely the games of the selection in the 2026 World Cup. The motive? FIFA does not allow — And it's not the first time.
The measure is a FIFA decision, which does not authorize the permanence of teams mascots within the field during official games, and this area is reserved only for accredited by the entity. The idea is to respect the space of athletes, technical committees and arbitration, preventing the excess of people on the lawn. The situation differs from the games of the qualifiers, where in the matches organized by Conmebol there are no restrictions for the presence of the thematic characters.
In the 2022 FIFA World Cup, in Qatar, the Canarinho Pistola was forbidden to be inside the stadium during the games, standing outside to throw the party with fans who could not see the matches live.
At the Russian World Cup in 2018, the situation was repeated: Canarinho could not stay in the field either, because FIFA and the Russians determined that Zabivaka, the official mascot of the competition, would have all the spotlight.
In 2026, the scenario was repeated — And Canarinho will have even more competition in attention. The Cup will be held between June 11th and July 19th, with Canada, Mexico and the United States as host countries, and will feature three official mascots: Maple, Zayu and Clutch, each representing one of the hosts.
Maple is the Maple the Moose, a goalkeeper moose whose name refers to the maple sheet on the flag of Canada. Zayu is the Zayu The Jaguar, an attacking feline representing Aztec culture — The name comes from the Nahuatl language and means "young". Clutch is the Clutch the Bald Eagle, a midfield eagle symbolizing the United States, with the name referring to English to indicate someone decisive in the moments that matter.
The 2026 edition will be the 16th World Cup with official mascots and only the second time in the history in which the tournament will have three of them, repeating the format used in the 2002 World Cup, hosted by South Korea and Japan.
Meanwhile, the Pistol Canary remains confined. — pistol as usual, but away from the lawn.
