Over the years, both the Avengers and X-Men have experimented with matching costumes. The founding X-Men started out in the same yellow and black costumes, and wore matching blue and yellow costumes during their incredibly popular ’90s revamp – one which has inspired multiple adaptations since.
As solo heroes brought together into a team, the Avengers wearing matching costumes is far rarer. However, in the ’90s, the team wore matching jackets – a look that was brought back in the recent Avengers Assemble and Astonishing Avengers Infinity Comic.
However, Marvel’s new offering takes a totally different approach…
Iconic Avengers and X-Men Get Soccer Makeovers in New Variant Covers
In a series of new variant covers, iconic Avengers and X-Men heroes get brand new soccer uniforms patterned after their classic costumes. Wolverine and Sabretooth fight for the ball, Spider-Man foils Sandman and the Green Goblin with a bicycle kick, Cyclops delivers a perfect header, and Venom stops the ball as an antihero goalkeeper.
These covers are coming June 2026, coinciding with the FIFA World Cup 2026 – the absolute height of soccer fever all over the planet. These soccer-themed covers are Marvel’s latest run of variant comic covers, and will appear on select issues as follows:
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Marvel Soccer Variant Covers |
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Character/s |
Issue |
Artist |
Release Date |
|
Wolverine and Cyclops |
Uncanny X-Men #29 |
Jonas Scharf |
June 3 |
|
Spider-Man |
The Amazing Spider-Man #30 |
Netho Diaz |
June 3 |
|
Iron Man |
Iron Man #6 |
Simone Di Meo |
June 3 |
|
Cyclops |
X-Men #31 |
Juan Frigeri |
June 10 |
|
Venom |
Venom #259 |
Luciano Vecchio |
June 24 |
So far, the covers above are the only ones that have been officially revealed, however Marvel will likely announce more as June approaches.
So far, there are no soccer variant covers announced featuring female heroes – a major shame, given the explosion of interest in women’s soccer in recent years.
Variant Covers Have Given Marvel Some of Its Coolest Redesigns… And Even Introduced New Heroes
While Marvel’s variant covers aren’t official canon in Earth-616, they often contribute to it. Marvel’s recent Champions variant cover initiative asked upcoming artists to imagine new sidekicks for iconic heroes – sidekicks who were then canonized in the pages of New Champions.
Likewise, the fan-favorite character Gwenpool originated from Chris Bachalo’s variant cover – part of a run redesigning classic characters in Deadpool’s style – and Jen Bartel’s Captain Marvel Hellfire Gala variant became her main costume, worn by the Avengers icon to this day.
So will fans ever see a world where Marvel’s iconic heroes and villains do battle on the soccer pitch rather than the streets of New York? Based on past successes, Avengers and X-Men fans shouldn’t rule it out.
- Movie(s)
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X-Men (2000), X2, X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), X-Men: First Class (2011), The Wolverine (2013), X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), Deadpool (2016), X-Men: Apocalypse (2016), Logan (2017), Deadpool 2 (2018), Dark Phoenix (2019), The New Mutants, Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)
- First Film
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X-Men (2000)
- TV Show(s)
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X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men, X-Men (1992), X-Men: Evolution (2000), Wolverine and the X-Men (2008), Marvel Anime: Wolverine, Marvel Anime: X-Men, Legion (2017), The Gifted (2017), X-Men ’97 (2024)
- Character(s)
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Professor X, Cyclops, Iceman, Beast, Angel, Phoenix, Wolverine, Gambit, Rogue, Storm, Jubilee, Morph, Nightcrawler, Havok, Banshee, Colossus, Magneto, Psylocke, Juggernaut, Cable, X-23
- Video Game(s)
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X-Men: Children of the Atom (1994), Marvel Super Heroes (1995), X-Men vs. Street Fighter (1996), Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter (1997), Marvel vs. Capcom (1998), X-Men: Mutant Academy (2000), Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes (2000), X-Men: Mutant Academy 2 (2001), X-Men: Next Dimension (2002), Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds (2011), Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (2011), X-Men Legends (2005), X-Men Legends 2: Rise of Apocalypse (2005), X2: Wolverine’s Revenge (2003), X-Men (1993), X-Men 2: Clone Wars (1995), X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse (1994)
- Comic Release Date
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213035,212968
The X-Men franchise, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, centers on mutants with extraordinary abilities. Led by the powerful telepath Professor Charles Xavier, they battle discrimination and villainous mutants threatening humanity. The series explores themes of diversity and acceptance through a blend of action, drama, and complex characters, spanning comics, animated series, and blockbuster films.