The National Museum of Anthropology (MNA), a leading institution for Mexico’s ancient and contemporary cultures, is hosting one of the most anticipated exhibitions in conjunction with the World Cup, which is being held in Mexico for the third time: “Soccer 2026. Annie Leibovitz.” The exhibition brings together two projects by the American photographer focused on the sport, along with a broad selection of her portrait work.

The exhibition marks photographer Annie Leibovitz’s return to the world of soccer forty years after she created the iconic images of the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. Presented at the National Museum of Anthropology, the exhibition brings together more than 130 pieces that link those historic photographs with a new series created for the 2026 World Cup.

In this new phase, Leibovitz shifts her focus from monumental settings to the bodies, gestures, and humanity of the soccer players. Her interest no longer lies in creating epic images, but in portraying the people behind the sporting spectacle: their movements, their effort, and their identity. Among the protagonists are players such as Guillermo Ochoa, Edson Álvarez, and Julián Quiñones, photographed far from the grand stadiums and closer to the everyday spaces where a passion for the game is born.

The exhibition also establishes a dialogue between contemporary soccer and the ancient Mesoamerican ballgame through the inclusion of archaeological artifacts, underscoring the cultural continuity of the sport in Mexico. Alongside this, an installation comprising more than a hundred portraits taken over five decades allows visitors to trace the career of one of the world’s most influential photographers.

More than a celebration of the World Cup, Futbol 2026 offers a reflection on the portrait as collective memory and on soccer as a human, cultural, and emotional phenomenon that transcends the playing field.