British artist Ben Mosley has been asked to provide personalised portraits of the England team for their World Cup base.
The move is part of the Football Association’s efforts to make their stay in Kansas City a ‘home from home’ for the players.
Sources have indicated the FA wants Mosley to provide every member of Thomas Tuchel’s 26-man party with an individual portrait, but the exact order and designs are still to be finalised.
Nevertheless, the FA’s move to provide a personal touch during a major tournament is clear continuation of the approach England adopted during Sir Gareth Southgate’s reign as head coach.
Mosley’s involvement with England is still to be finalised with talks said to be ongoing.
The Hertfordshire-born expressionist is already the official artist for Team GB, the British and Irish Lions and League One side Barnsley.
He has staged many exhibitions, and was commissioned to paint Queen Elizabeth II for her platinum jubilee.
Murals have also been a big part of his career – he was the first artist to paint one at the new Wembley Stadium, and created murals in front of a live audience in Team GB House for the Paris Olympics.
According to his website, external, Mosley uses 24-carat gold as a “trademark in all of his paintings” with his record sale standing at £100,000. It is not know how much the FA might be spending on the project.
Southgate believed that making the team hotel as comfortable and familiar as possible during major tournaments would aid performances on the pitch.
At World Cup 2018 in Russia, his first tournament in charge, the FA personalised players’ room with family photos and mementos, while at the delayed Euro 2020, where England stayed at St George’s Park for the majority of the competition, a basketball hoop was placed in the camp to help players mix.
During World Cup 2022 in Qatar, the FA introduced subtle branding, including using three lions frosting for doors and windows in addition to allowing families to come into camp on designated days to reduce stress during the tournament.
And the latest move to instruct Mosley to provide personalised artwork to potentially be positioned at their World Cup 2026 base at their The Inn at Madowbrook team hotel, in Kansas City, is an extension of those efforts.