A Street Vendor's Pet Duck Became Mexico's World Cup Mascot

FIFA spent untold time and money designing Zayu the Jaguar, the sleek official mascot of the 2026 World Cup. And then a two-year-old duck named Merlin waddled through a celebrating crowd in Mexico and stole the entire tournament out from under him.

Believe It or Not!, the most beloved symbol of Mexico's World Cup is a real, feathered, quacking duck who was originally given away as a gift.

From Gift Duck to National Icon

Merlin belongs to street vendor Carla Gómez and her family, who received him two years ago as a present from a customer. For most of his life, Merlin was simply a family pet. Then Mexico beat South Africa 2-0 in the World Cup, the streets erupted in celebration, and someone captured footage of Merlin calmly strolling through the jubilant crowd like he owned the place.

The internet lost its collective mind.

Clips of the unbothered duck spread across social media at astonishing speed, and fans crowned him an instant icon under the rallying cry "Long Live the Duck!" Within days, Merlin memes were everywhere, and a humble backyard bird had become the unofficial mascot of an entire nation's World Cup dreams.

The Duck Who Met a President

Here's where Merlin's story crosses from charming into full-blown Believe It or Not! territory. His fame climbed so high that he scored an invitation most world leaders would envy: a visit to Mexico's National Palace, where Merlin was formally introduced as an unofficial symbol of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, in the presence of President Claudia Sheinbaum herself.

A duck given away for free to a street vendor's family ended up meeting the President of Mexico, all because he happened to waddle through the right crowd at the right moment. Zayu the Jaguar has a marketing budget. Merlin has a destiny.

An Underdog Story

The 2026 World Cup is a record-breaker in its own right, the first-ever 48-team tournament, with the final set to land at MetLife Stadium. Amid all that spectacle, billions of dollars, and global superstar athletes, the breakout star is a two-year-old duck from a street vendor's home who never kicked a ball in his life.

Merlin's tale belongs in the great hall of unlikely oddities: the pet that outshone the professionals. He's proof that fame doesn't always go to the biggest or the most expensively designed, sometimes it just goes to the duck who showed up.

So while the jaguar poses on the merchandise, Mexico's heart belongs to a bird named Merlin. Long live the duck!