When Lego set out to translate the vigour of football into brick form, the brief extended beyond likeness or scale. The goal was to capture a sport defined by fluid motion using a system built on stillness.
That challenge sits at the heart of the company’s World Cup edition sets, a new range spanning player-focused builds, stylised recreations of the tournament’s most recognisable symbols and models designed with display as much as play in mind.
“The big question was how to bring dynamism,” senior model designer Freddy Charters told The National. “Lego bricks are inherently static, so creating that sense of movement is not necessarily an easy transition.”
Charters joined Lego after studying industrial design at Loughborough University, first through a placement year working on Ninjago before returning full time. His move from themes such as Lego Dreamzzz to football reflects a continuity in approach rather than a departure.
“Those themes involve a lot of creativity and football has that as well,” he says. “At its core, football is magic. The aim was to express that through the builds.”
The World Cup line-up reflects that thinking in its range. Alongside player sets centred on figures such as Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior, the collection includes builds of the World Cup itself and other football-inspired objects. The intention is to offer a consistent design language across different scales, with each set delivering what Charters describes as a “complete play experience” regardless of size.
That consistency is guided by three principles: dynamism, discovery and clarity.
The first is visual. Each player model is anchored in a moment that fans recognise instantly. Ronaldo’s bicycle kick, for example, is translated into a sculptural pose that conveys movement through structure alone.
“It has to be unmistakable,” Charters says. “You should be able to look at it and know exactly who it is.”
The second principle unfolds across the build itself. Lego designers refer to it as “discovery play”, where details emerge gradually rather than being presented all at once.
In the Messi set, visible elements such as the Argentina flag and shirt number offer an immediate point of entry. Beyond that, deeper references are embedded throughout the structure. Background buildings allude to clubs from his career, while hidden components nod to personal details, including his fondness for mate, the traditional South American herbal drink.
“I didn’t want everything to be revealed at the end,” Charters says. “From the first bag to the last, there should be something new to discover.”
This layered approach reflects a broader shift in how Lego designs its products. Sets are increasingly intended to work across age groups, with the experience extending beyond the build itself into display.
For the World Cup range, that meant thinking carefully about presence. Dynamic posing plays a role, but so do proportion, colour and recognisable features.
“If you’re a fan, you want something that represents that player,” Charters says. “It needs to feel iconic.”
Behind the scenes, that clarity is supported by a highly structured design process. Ease of assembly is considered from the earliest prototypes and refined through collaboration with specialists across the company.
Model coaches assess stability and build flow. Instruction designers test how clearly each step is communicated. Even internal colour choices are deliberate, guiding builders through complex sections and making the process more intuitive.
“It’s something I’m thinking about from the start,” Charters says. “Then we work with others to make sure it’s the best possible experience.”
Research follows a similarly collaborative path. Designers map out key moments from each player’s career using digital tools, gathering input from colleagues, football fans within the company. Even the superstar players and their management teams were consulted. The result is a curated selection of moments and references that balance recognisable milestones with more personal details.
Easter eggs are central to that balance. Hidden elements reward closer attention and deepen the connection between the builder and the subject. In one set, a small green dog represents Messi’s pet, Hulk, a detail that may only reveal itself midway through the build.
“I think those moments of discovery are really important,” Charters says. “They make the experience more enjoyable and more personal.”
For Lego, the World Cup sets also sit within a longer trajectory. Founded in Denmark in 1932, the company has built its reputation on continuity, with bricks produced decades apart still fitting together. That compatibility underpins both its longevity and its ability to adapt to new audiences.
“I think there’s a pride in creation. No matter your age, being able to build something and say ‘I made that’ is powerful,” Charters says. “It is a moment of calm. You can sit down, build and focus on that alone.”
That sense of calm also underpins the wider experience Charters describes. Beyond the technical precision and layered storytelling, the act of building becomes a pause, a moment where the noise of the outside world falls away.
In translating football into Lego form, the process becomes less about replication and more about interpretation. Movement is suggested through structure, careers are condensed into sequences of hidden details and fandom is expressed through objects that can be built, displayed and revisited.
Each set carries that dual purpose. It captures a moment from the game and turns it into something that can be assembled, piece by piece, by the fans it represents.
