FIFA World Cup 2026: Sudarsan Pattnaik creates WC trophy, Messi sand sculptures ahead of final
Puri, July 19
Renowned sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik has created an 8-foot-high sand sculpture of the FIFA World Cup 2026 trophy, featuring the national flags of Spain and Argentina along with the message, "FIFA World Cup 2026 - Good Luck For Final," at Puri beach in Odisha ahead of the Argentina vs Spain final on Monday.
Sudarsan Pattnaik has also sculpted Lionel Messi, one of football's greatest icons, with the message "We Love MESSI." Nearly 7 tons of sand were used to create the sculpture, with students from his sand art institution joining hands to complete the sculpture.
Speaking to ANI, Pattnaik said the 8-foot-high sand sculpture of the FIFA World Cup trophy was created to wish Spain and Argentina good luck ahead of the final, adding that the whole world is eagerly awaiting the title clash and that the artwork at Puri Beach conveys his best wishes to both teams.
"Good luck for the FIFA World Cup final. We have created this 8-ft-high sand sculpture of the golden trophy, the trophy the whole world is waiting to see who will lift. This time, we have created this special sculpture with the message, 'Good Luck.' We wish both teams all the best for this final match. The whole world is waiting for it, and many tourists visit Puri Beach, so we created this sand sculpture to wish both teams good luck," Pattnaik said.
Pattnaik said he also created a sand sculpture of Lionel Messi to honour the football legend and wished both Argentina and Spain good luck, adding that football enjoys immense popularity in eastern India and fans are eagerly looking forward to the World Cup final.
"We have also created a sculpture of Messi, who is a legend of world football, with the message, 'We Love Messi,' because you know that everywhere in the world, Messi is mesmerising fans with his unique game," he said.
"We created both sculptures, and we would like to wish both teams all the best. We all must watch the match because, especially in the eastern part of India, people are very crazy about football. So we have created both sculptures to wish both teams good luck," he added.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Though I'm not a huge football fan, I have to appreciate the effort. It's heartwarming to see artists from Odisha promoting such a global event. The students from his institution learning and participating in this must be a fantastic experience. All the best to both teams! 👏
Absolutely brilliant! As someone who loves both art and football, Sudarsan Pattnaik's work is just mind-blowing. Bringing the World Cup trophy to Puri beach in such a creative way is genius. The India football connection is strong - we may not be in the tournament, but our artists are making their mark. Vamos for the final! 🇦🇷🇪🇸
Great to see Indian culture and global football merging on Puri beach! The Messi sculpture is a nice touch - he truly is a legend. I hope tourists visiting the beach also get to appreciate this artwork. Hopefully someday India will be in the World Cup and Pattnaik can sculpt our team's trophy! 😊
While the artistry is amazing, I wish more attention was given to local issues alongside such international events. But I understand how football brings people together in eastern India, especially Kolkata and Odisha. The sculpture is beautiful and Sudarsan Pattnaik's dedication is commendable. Hope both teams have a fair game!
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