Meet La'eeb, the Qatar 2022 official World Cup mascot!
La'eeb was first revealed at the FIFA World Cup draw back on April 1 in Doha, Qatar, and joins a long tradition of mascots launched ahead of every FIFA World Cup.
The unveil happened before the World Cup schedule was set, with an animated video telling La'eeb's story played out to the millions watching around the world. The mascot was depicted flying through the air as part of the video explaining its story.
La'eeb follows in the footsteps of Zabivaka (2018), Fuleco (2014), and Zakumi (2010), and has been unleashed across a variety of platforms via downloadable stickers, GIFs, screensavers and filters.
The debut of La'eeb soon had fans talking, with many posing similar questions: What is it exactly? What is the meaning behind it?
It turns out that many of those answers have been left open to interpretation. Here we try to explain what FIFA and the designers had in mind as they tried to create a memorable mascot.
He's come from the mascot-verse full of energy and is ready to bring the joy of football to everyone!
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) April 1, 2022
Introducing: La'eeb - the #FIFAWorldCup Qatar 2022 Official Mascot pic.twitter.com/RrEA6iS6t4
What is the World Cup 2022 mascot?
What at first glance has the appearance of a gutra (a cloth headdress worn in Qatar) the mascot is not meant to have a fixed anthropomorphic identity, according to the marketing team that created it.
"La'eeb is a fun and mischievous character who comes from the mascot-verse, a parallel world where all tournament mascots live," read an announcement published by FIFA.
"La'eeb can be a figment of your imagination. He is whoever a football fan wants him to be."
For a mascot meant to be figment of someone's imagination, FIFA still managed to find many adjectives used to describe it, including "courageous", "uplifting", "fun", "playful", "mischievous", "youthful", and an "adventurous spirit."
They also went out of their way to describe this "mascot-verse" from which La'eeb hails, where mascots have apparently been trying to communicate with humans for centuries.
"A parallel world where tournament mascots live," continued FIFA's marketing spiel. "It is a world where ideas and creativity form the basis of characters that live in the minds of everyone."
The announcement, which repeatedly touched on imagination, contained fantastical levels of detail, such as La'eeb having "attended every previous FIFA World Cup tournament" and that he has "contributed to some of the most famous moments in football history, including a number of iconic goals."
In fact, in the introductory video, La'eeb is not shy about claiming credit for Maradona's infamous "Hand of God" goal, as well as Robin van Persie's long-range diving header against Spain in World Cup 2014! That's some talent.
Welcome Laeeb, the official @FIFAWorldCup #Qatar2022 mascot! Follow his journey from the mascotverse to FIFA World Cup final! #Laeeb pic.twitter.com/fVMe9MCO5w — Road to 2022 (@roadto2022en) April 1, 2022
While La'eeb's gender hasn't been explicitly stated, FIFA describe it using male pronouns. Whatever it is meant to be, though, La'eeb's goal is clearly to bring positive vibes to the tournament, with the motto "Now is All".
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What does the World Cup 2022 mascot name mean?
The name La'eeb, according to FIFA, is "an Arabic word meaning super-skilled player."
The presence of the apostrophe in the middle of the word is common when translating Arabic into the Roman alphabet. Apostrophes are used to indicate glottal stops, a sound which is produced by obstructing airflow through the glottis.
This is common in Arabic, which is why it is marked with an apostrophe when translated. However, because glottal stops aren't typically marked in English, you may also see the apostrophe dropped, and La'eeb referred to as Laeeb.
