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Behind the scenes on Lego World Cup trophy ad as 2026 finals stars unite for commercial

Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior have each been portrayed in LEGO bricks as part of a series of special sets created for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Four of the best-known athletes in the world, the quartet were given a chance to inspect their likenesses, including a recreation of Ronaldo’s Siuuu celebration pose in an 854-piece model that can also be configured to carry off a bicycle kick.

“We collected so many options on wigs and facial expressions and we were constantly going back and forth with the teams, showing what we were doing and exploring,” said LEGO’s Sanne van Kesteren, speaking to AS.

“We wanted to show any other details they have, like Messi’s tattoos, for example.”

Footballer Kylian Mbappe grinning while holding up a lego toy carrying the number 10 in a darkened room. Mbappe is wearing a dark-coloured topFootballer Kylian Mbappe grinning while holding up a lego toy carrying the number 10 in a darkened room. Mbappe is wearing a dark-coloured top

Lego World Cup set: ‘Everyone wants a piece’

Vinicius Junior’s Football Highlights set – part of a series described as a “cinematic snapshot” of the players – is made up of 510 pieces.

In an advert to promote the sets, the players build a replica of the tournament trophy and smile at each other around a table, accompanied by the tagline “everyone wants a piece”.

Footballer Vinicius Junior grinning while holding up a lego toy in a darkened room. Vinicius Junior is wearing a dark-coloured jacketFootballer Vinicius Junior grinning while holding up a lego toy in a darkened room. Vinicius Junior is wearing a dark-coloured jacket

“We needed to look into what hairpiece we were using and how to get the face correct,” Van Kesteren said of the works, recalling feeling “a little nervous” before showing the Siuuu piece to Ronaldo’s team.

“That was the one we believed in the most, because it’s super iconic and the kids are going to love it.

Footballer Cristiano Ronaldo sitting on a sofa playing with a Lego toy on a table. Ronaldo is wearing a dark top and shortsFootballer Cristiano Ronaldo sitting on a sofa playing with a Lego toy on a table. Ronaldo is wearing a dark top and shorts

“Especially on the expressions: ‘Should we have a more smiley face, a more determined face?’ We decided to have two faces for Ronaldo.

“Of course, when we showed it, we were a little tense – but the team really liked that. They were actually talking about it all the time, saying ‘I love this face’. That’s the one in the packaging shot.”

Footballer Kylian Mbappe grinning while a filming camera is visible in the background. Mbappe is wearing a dark-coloured topFootballer Kylian Mbappe grinning while a filming camera is visible in the background. Mbappe is wearing a dark-coloured top

Ronaldo on Messi, Mbappe, Vinicius Jr

Ronaldo described the Argentina captain, France skipper Mbappe and Brazil superstar Vinicius Jr as “incredible” and said he was “honored” to have been part of the set.

The designs are built on letter-shaped bases and feature the colors of the players’ national shirts alongside a collectible plaque and minifigure.

Ronaldo and Mbappe’s likenesses contain 490 pieces, with 2022 World Cup winner Messi’s made of 500.

Designer Freddy Charters said his highlight of the project was meeting Messi to show him the set he had been “working for months on”.

Footballer Lionel Messi sitting in a room while being filmed. A camera is visible in the foreground and messi is wearing a brown jacket and white t-shirt while holding up a handFootballer Lionel Messi sitting in a room while being filmed. A camera is visible in the foreground and messi is wearing a brown jacket and white t-shirt while holding up a hand

“If you’re a fan of football, you should be a fan of Messi,” said Charters. “He’s a brilliant player and I’ve followed his life and career since I was very young.

“He expressed that his family was really into LEGO building. He said it was surreal for him to now see himself in LEGO form and that his family would now be building a set based on him, which is amazing.”

A young designer working on a Lego toy at a table. The designer is wearing a dark top and touching the toy with one handA young designer working on a Lego toy at a table. The designer is wearing a dark top and touching the toy with one hand

How much are the Lego World Cup sets?

The Messi and Ronaldo Soccer Legends pieces are $79.99, with a Messi celebration design costing $199.99.

“Similar to football, LEGO play is all about building and rebuilding, trying new things, learning from mistakes and celebrating successes,” said Messi, adding that he was “thrilled” for fans to try the sets.

“I love how these LEGO sets bring my on-pitch moments to life in a fun and imaginative way.”

A young designer working on a Lego toy at a table. The designer is wearing a dark top and touching the toy with one handA young designer working on a Lego toy at a table. The designer is wearing a dark top and touching the toy with one hand

The football sets are available from LEGO’s site, with some on pre-order when the commercial aired on April 2.

The trophy set seen in the advert is priced at $199.99 and a World Cup football is $129.99.

A FIFA World Cup trophy emblem set and a US national team jersey are available for $24.99 each.

Messi, Ronaldo, Vinicius Jr, Mappe World Cup fixtures

Should they play at the 2026 World Cup finals, the quartet could each take part in three group stage fixtures and a maximum of five knockout stage matches.

The finals are being held in the USA, Canada and Mexico and start on June 11.

Here are the players’ confirmed fixtures in the group stage. Asterisk denotes a match starting the following day in the UK.

Player Date Match ET PT BST
Messi June 16 Argentina vs Algeria 21:00 18:00 02:00*
June 22 Argentina vs Austria 13:00 10:00 18:00
June 27 Jordan vs Argentina 22:00 19:00 03:00*
Mbappe June 16 France vs Senegal 15:00 12:00 20:00
June 22 France vs Iraq 17:00 14:00 22:00
June 26 Norway vs France 18:00 15:00 23:00
Vinicius Jr June 13 Brazil vs Morocco 18:00 15:00 23:00
June 19 Brazil vs Haiti 21:00 18:00 02:00*
June 24 Scotland vs Brazil 18:00 15:00 23:00
Ronaldo June 17 Portugal vs DR Congo 13:00 10:00 18:00
June 23 Portugal vs Uzbekistan 13:00 10:00 18:00
June 27 Colombia vs Portugal 19:30 16:30 00:30*

Media used with permission. ©2025 The LEGO Group.

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