The FIFA World Cup 2026 begins this June, and to celebrate the summer's soccer mania, Marvel's most iconic heroes are hitting the field on new "Marvel Soccer Variant Covers," the newest monthly cover collection from Marvel's Stormbreakers.
The crowd goes wild as the Avengers, X-Men, Spider-Man and more suit up in fun new jersey designs to score winning goals, make dramatic saves—and, in Deadpool’s case, argue with the ref—in exciting soccer matches.
As Marvel Comics explains in a press release, "Featured across eight upcoming titles, these high-energy covers spotlight the group’s dynamic skills to depict kinetic action that leaps off the page."
The current class of Marvel's Stormbreakers include Alessandro Cappuccio (Ultimate Wolverine), Netho Diaz (X-Men), Simone Di Meo (X-Men of Apocalypse), Juan Frigeri (Ultimates), Gurihiru (Jeff the Land Shark), Jonas Scharf (Ultimate Endgame), Geoff Shaw (Wade Wilson: Deadpool), and Luciano Vecchio (Uncanny X-Men).
Chosen for their remarkable art, notable achievements, and boundless imagination when bringing the Marvel mythos to the page, these creators represent the future of comic book artistry and embody the raw talent to shatter the limits of visual storytelling.
First launched in 2020, Marvel's Stormbreakers evolved from Marvel's Young Guns program. Over the past 15 years, Marvel selected and recognised 36 up-and-coming artists who went on to draw some of Marvel’s greatest events, iconic series, and beyond, solidifying their place as luminaries in the industry, including Steve McNiven, Jim Cheung, Sara Pichelli, Ryan Stegman, and more.
Covers like these aren't meant to be taken too seriously, and this isn't an official partnership with FIFA. For the "soccer" (c'mon, it's football...) fans among you, the variant covers will be a must-buy, and it's always fun to see iconic characters like these placed in new surroundings.
Check out all eight "Marvel Soccer Variant Covers" below, and make sure to go ahead and pre-order them at your local comic store today.
On Sale 6/3
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #30 Marvel Soccer Variant Cover by NETHO DIAZ
IRON MAN #6 Marvel Soccer Variant Cover by SIMONE DI MEO
UNCANNY X-MEN #29 Marvel Soccer Variant Cover by JONAS SCHARF
WADE WILSON: DEADPOOL #5 Marvel Soccer Variant Cover by GURIHIRU
On Sale 6/10
X-MEN #31 Marvel Soccer Variant Cover by JUAN FRIGERI
On Sale 6/17
X-MEN UNITED #4 Marvel Soccer Variant Cover by ALESSANDRO CAPPUCCIO
On Sale 6/24
VENOM #259 Marvel Soccer Variant Cover by LUCIANO VECCHIO
On Sale 7/8
DAREDEVIL #4 Marvel Soccer Variant Cover by GEOFF SHAW