Mexico City Metro Displays Artistically Decorated Soccer Balls from Families

The Mexico City Metro (STC) is showcasing a unique exhibition titled “Families, Culture, Peace, and Sport in the Social World Cup.” This display features 42 soccer balls, each intricately decorated by Mexican families, transforming them into vibrant canvases that express the nation's cultural diversity, heritage, and traditions.

These artistic creations are part of the broader activities for the Social World Cup 2026 and stem from the 2026 Family Decorated Ball Contest. The initiative sought to foster citizen engagement, artistic expression, harmonious coexistence, and a stronger sense of identity and belonging among Mexican families.

The decorated balls highlight Mexico's rich cultural tapestry through various techniques, including machine and hand embroidery characteristic of different regions, as well as ancestral artisanal methods passed down through generations. The diversity of materials used is equally remarkable, ranging from traditional crafts like crochet and machine-made fabrics to unconventional items such as LEGOs, tamal leaves, seeds, wood, newspaper, and even gold leaf.

Each ball is a singular piece, blending materials, colors, and textures to represent elements specific to the families' communities, regional symbols, landscapes, popular characters, and expressions of Mexican folk art. The exhibition includes the winning entries, such as the first-place design “Báaxal Ye’etel Puksik’ik’al” by the Martín May family from Yucatán, and also features honorable mentions, celebrating the creativity and cultural pride of participants from various states.