Behind the scenes of the Lego World Cup trophy as the stars of the 2026 finals meet in a commercial

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

Four of the world’s most famous athletes, the quartet were given the opportunity to test their similarities, including a recreation of Ronaldo’s Siuuu image in an 854-piece model that can be configured to carry a bicycle kick.

“We collected a lot of options for wigs and facial expressions and we’ve been going back and forth with the teams, showing what we’ve been doing and testing,” said LEGO’s Sanne van Kesteren, speaking to AS.

“We wanted to show some of the details they have, like Messi’s drawings.”

Lego World Cup set: ‘Everyone wants a piece’

The Vinicius Junior Football Highlights Set – part of a series described as a “cinematic portrait” of the players – is made up of 510 pieces.

In an ad promoting the sets, the players create a replica of the championship trophy and smile around the table, which goes along with the tagline “everyone wants a piece”.

“We needed to look at which hair piece to use and how to shape the face,” 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 amazing and the kids will love it.

“Especially in the words: ‘Should we have a more smiling face, a more determined face?’ We decided to have two faces of Ronaldo.

“Yes, when we showed it, we were tense – but the team loved it. They were actually talking about it all the time, saying ‘I love this face’. It’s the one on the packaging.”

Ronaldo to Messi, Mbappe, Vinicius Jr

Ronaldo described the Argentina captain, France captain Mbappe and Brazil star Vinicius Jr as “amazing” and said he was “honoured” to be 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 match consists of 490 pieces, while 2022 World Cup winner Messi makes 500.

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

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

“He revealed that his family was totally into LEGO building. He said it was surreal for him to now see himself in LEGO form and that his family is going to build a set based on him, which is amazing.”

How much are Lego World Cup sets?

The Messi and Ronaldo Soccer Legends pieces cost $79.99, with the celebratory Messi design priced at $199.99.

“Like football, playing LEGO is about building and rebuilding, trying new things, learning from mistakes and celebrating success,” Messi said, adding that he was “happy” for fans to try out the sets.

“I love how these LEGO sets bring my playtimes to life in a fun and imaginative way.”

The football sets are available on the LEGO site, with some being pre-ordered when the sale goes live on April 2.

The mug advertised costs $199.99 and the World Cup ball is $129.99.

A set of FIFA World Cup trophy and US national team jersey is available for $24.99 each.

Messi, Ronaldo, Vinicius Jr, Mappe World Cup matches

If they are to play in the 2026 World Cup finals, each quartet could be involved in three group stage matches and five knockout matches.

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

Here are the confirmed games for the players in the group stage. An asterisk means a game starting the next day in the UK.

Media used with permission. ©2025 The LEGO Group.