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Merlin the duck becomes the unofficial mascot of the World Cup

Yahoo Sports • 2 min read • Latest: Jun 15, 2026, 8:20 PM

Last updated Jun 15, 2026

Merlin the duck becomes the unofficial mascot of the World Cup
Summary

During Mexico's World Cup-opening victory over South Africa, a 2-year-old duck named Merlin captured significant attention as the tournament's first unofficial mascot. Dressed in the national team’s colors, images of him celebrating alongside fans in Mexico City quickly went viral, garnering millions of views on social media. Merlin, regularly seen with his owner Carla Gómez at local events, has grown from a local celebrity to an internet sensation. Accompanying Gómez and her young son Cristian, Merlin's rise to fame has surprised the family. They now hope he can continue bringing good luck to Mexico, the tournament's co-host with Canada and the United States for the third time.

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By the Numbers
  • •Mexico defeated South Africa in their World Cup opener
  • •Merlin the duck celebrated with fans in Mexico City
  • •The duck has a strong bond with his owner and her son
  • •Images of Merlin quickly went viral on social media
  • •Mexico co-hosts the World Cup alongside Canada and the U.S.
Latest Updates
  • 3:19 PMYahoo Sports — Quack quack! Merlin the duck is Mexico's World Cup superfan
  • 3:46 AMYahoo Sports — Soccer-Merlin the duck: From Mexico City streets to World Cup stardom
  • 10:13 PMThe Guardian Sport — Duck, duck, goal: bird dressed in Mexico’s World Cup jersey scores on social media
  • 9:22 PMYahoo Sports — Meet Merlin the duck, a Mexico City streetside regular turned World Cup mascot (cloned) (cloned)
  • 8:20 PMYahoo Sports — Meet Merlin the duck, a Mexico City streetside regular turned World Cup mascot
What they're saying
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Julián Quiñones and Raúl Jiménez may have scored the goals, but a duck stole the show. As Mexico celebrated its World Cup-opening victory over South Africa on Thursday, Merlin, a 2-year-old duck dressed in the national team’s colors, became an unlikely internet sensation and the tournament’s first unofficial mascot. Images of Merlin parading through Mexico City, wearing a Mexican national team jersey — and socks — as thousands of fans celebrated, quickly went viral, racking up millions of views across social media.

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Images of Merlin, a two-year-old duck, parading on the streets of Mexico City celebrated by fans on social media Julián Quiñones and Raúl Jiménez may have scored the goals, but a duck stole the show. As Mexico celebrated its World Cup-opening victory over South Africa on Thursday, Merlin, a two-year-old duck dressed in the national team’s colors, became an unlikely internet sensation and the tournament’s first unofficial mascot. Continue reading...

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MEXICO CITY, June 16 (Reuters) - A domesticated duck named Merlin, sporting a miniature Mexico shirt and custom duck socks, has waddled his way into the hearts of football fans, becoming an unlikely

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