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Duck wearing Mexico jersey spotted during World Cup celebrations
Duck wearing Mexico jersey spotted during World Cup celebrations
Entertainment
Duck wearing Mexico jersey spotted during World Cup celebrations
by
Matthew Benson
Published:
Jun 13, 2026, 18:44
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A duck wearing a Mexico jersey was recorded waddling through the streets of Mexico City in support of its national soccer team.
Mexico kicked off their World Cup campaign on Thursday June 11 in a contest against South Africa which doubled as the opening game of the competition. The game saw a rare three red cards, two for South Africa and one for Mexico, but the Mexicans took all three points in a 2-0 victory.
The Mexican fans are famed for their passion regarding their national soccer team, and this showed on Thursday. Thousands of fans filled the stadium, as well as the surrounding fan zones and streets, both before and after the game.
Ducks shows support for Mexico during World Cup
However, those fans in attendance were surprised to see an unlikely participant in the celebrations, which soon went viral online soon after its initial sighting.
Waddling along the streets outside the Mexico City Stadium was a duck, suppose…
Quick hits: Cabo Verde finds player on LinkedIn, meet Merlin the Duck
Quick hits: Cabo Verde finds player on LinkedIn, meet Merlin the Duck
Cabo Verde's incredible result against Spain brings with it no shortage of amazing stories, while a duck in a jersey is stealing hearts in Mexico. Here are today's quick hits from the World Cup.
Forget the Stars: A Duck Wearing a Mexico Jersey During FIFA World
Forget the Stars: A Duck Wearing a Mexico Jersey During FIFA World
Sports
Forget the Stars: A Duck Wearing a Mexico Jersey During FIFA World Cup Goes Viral
Watch: Duck Wearing Mexico Jersey During FIFA World Cup Goes Viral
By
Rohan Gupta
Published
13 June 2026
·
2
min read
Forget the Stars: A Duck Wearing a Mexico Jersey During FIFA World Cup Goes Viral
Amidst the high-stakes drama of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the internet’s latest obsession is a feathered fan waddling through Mexico City in team colours.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is barely out of the blocks, but the tournament has already produced an unlikely breakout star. While 80,000 fans were still buzzing from Mexico’s clinical 2-0 opening victory against South Africa at the famed Estadio Azteca, social media feeds were being taken over by a much smaller, web-footed supporter. A video of a duck, dressed in a custom-fitted green Mexico jersey, has gone viral, capturing the hearts of millions as it waddled through the jubilant streets of the capital.
A Mascot Like No Other
The footage, which surfaced just hours before the opening match, shows the pet duck strolling alongside its owners—a woman and a young boy—amidst a sea of chee…
Merlin the Duck emerges as Mexico’s unofficial World Cup mascot
Merlin the Duck emerges as Mexico’s unofficial World Cup mascot
A domesticated duck named Merlin, dressed in a miniature Mexico shirt and custom duck socks, has waddled into the hearts of football fans and emerged as an unlikely unofficial masc...
Merlin, the Duck in a Mexico World Cup Team Jersey, Finds Unexpected Fame
Merlin, the Duck in a Mexico World Cup Team Jersey, Finds Unexpected Fame
The feathered pet has waddled his way into the pantheon of famous animals associated with the soccer tournament.
Mexico's 'Lucky Duck' Steals Hearts at FIFA World Cup, Viral Video ...
Mexico's 'Lucky Duck' Steals Hearts at FIFA World Cup, Viral Video ...
An unlikely football fan has captured the internet’s attention during theFIFAWorld Cup, and it isn’t a player or coach. A duck wearingMexico’snational team jersey has goneviralon social media, delighting football supporters and animal lovers alike with its unexpected appearance at the tournament.
The now-viral videoshows the duck confidently waddling through a crowd while dressed in a miniature Mexico football shirt. Surrounded by cheering supporters and the festive atmosphere that accompanies major sporting events, the feathered fan appeared completely at ease as spectators stopped to watch and record the unusual sight.
Check the viral video here:
The clip quickly gained traction online, with users across social media platforms sharing the video and reacting to the duck’s apparent enthusiasm for Mexico’s World Cup campaign. Many viewers described the bird as the tournament’s most adorable supporter, while others joked that it had become an unofficial mascot for the team.
One social media user commented, “This duck has more team spirit than most fans.” Another wrote, “Mexico has already won the World Cup of…
Duck, duck, goal: bird dressed in Mexico’s World Cup jersey scores on social media
Duck, duck, goal: bird dressed in Mexico’s World Cup jersey scores on social media
<p>Images of Merlin, a two-year-old duck, parading on the streets of Mexico City celebrated by fans on social media</p><p>Julián Quiñones and Raúl Jiménez may have scored the goals, but a duck stole the show.</p><p>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.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jun/15/duck-wearing-mexico-world-cup-jersey-viral">Continue reading...</a>
Corroboration
No verdict, no pronouncement. The model extracts atomic factual claims with verbatim quotes; every quote is validated against the source text and corroboration is computed by counting how many editorially-opposed blocs assert each fact. 19 fabricated/unverifiable quotes were rejected by the cite-or-die gate.
The spine · 4 facts corroborated across ≥2 opposed blocs
3×broadly confirmedA duck named Merlin, dressed in a miniature Mexico World Cup jersey and custom socks, became an unofficial mascot during the 2026 World Cup.
otherturkeywestern
dailysabah“A domesticated duck named Merlin, dressed in a miniature Mexico shirt and custom duck socks, has waddled into the hearts of football fans and emerged as an unlikely unofficial masc...”
guardian“Images of Merlin, a two-year-old duck, parading on the streets of Mexico City celebrated by fans on social media”
nytimes“Merlin, the Duck in a Mexico World Cup Team Jersey, Finds Unexpected Fame”
dexerto.com“A duck wearing a Mexico jersey was recorded waddling through the streets of Mexico City in support of its national soccer team.”
2×broadly confirmedMerlin the duck became an internet sensation following Mexico’s 2-0 victory over South Africa in the opening match of the 2026 World Cup.
otherwestern
guardian“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.”
dexerto.com“Ducks shows support for Mexico during World Cup
However, those fans in attendance were surprised to see an unlikely participant in the celebrations, which soon went viral online soon after”
2×broadly confirmedMexico’s opening match of the 2026 World Cup was against South Africa, which Mexico won 2-0.
otherwestern
guardian“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.”
dexerto.com“Mexico kicked off their World Cup campaign on Thursday June 11 in a contest against South Africa which doubled as the opening game of the competition. The game saw a rare three red cards, two for South Africa and one for Mexico, but the Mexicans took all three points in a 2-0 victory.”
1×broadly confirmedVozinha, the 40-year-old goalkeeper for Cabo Verde, made seven saves in the match against Spain.
other
dailymail.com“Vozinha made seven saves, with 1.46 xG prevented, as Cape Verde picked up a surprise point against European champions Spain in their Group H opener.”
usatoday.com“Vozinha waited a long time for this moment. He worked for decades. He's 40 years old. And he just led his country, Cape Verde, to an improbable and once thought impossible result.”
Single-source · 6 — reported by one bloc only (uncorroborated)
Merlin is a two-year-old duck.
guardian
Cabo Verde drew 0-0 with Spain in their Group H opener at the 2026 World Cup.
dailymail.com
Vozinha had 50,000 Instagram followers before the Cabo Verde-Spain match.
dailymail.com
Vozinha gained 1.8 million Instagram followers after the Cabo Verde-Spain match.
dailymail.com
Vozinha wept after the Cabo Verde-Spain match.
usatoday.com
Three red cards were issued in Mexico’s opening match against South Africa: two to South Africa and one to Mexico.
dexerto.com
Framing · 5 — loaded language surfaced (spin shown, not adopted)
abc_au
“Cabo Verde's incredible result against Spain brings with it no shortage of amazing stories, while a duck in a jersey is stealing hearts in Mexico.”
→ Cabo Verde drew with Spain and a duck in a jersey became popular in Mexico.
guardian
“Julián Quiñones and Raúl Jiménez may have scored the goals, but a duck stole the show.”
→ Mexico scored two goals in their match; a duck became the focus of attention.
usatoday.com
“He did it for his country. He did it for himself. But mostly, he did it for his mother and grandparents.”
→ Vozinha played in the match for personal and national reasons.
cbssports.com
“Cabo Verde at the 2026 World Cup is one of those stories that restores faith in the sport and perhaps in something deeper.”
→ Cabo Verde's World Cup participation is meaningful.
dailymail.com
“pundits on Brazilian channel Caze TV urged viewers to boost him to 100,000 Instagram followers at half time.”
→ Pundits encouraged viewers to follow Vozinha on Instagram during the match.