Sports Illustrated ’s World Cup preview covers through the years have featured some of the biggest names in soccer: Messi, Ronaldo, Mbappé. But last fall, when we started making plans for the cover of this issue, creative director Stephen Skalocky had an idea: What if we tried something a little more … democratic? Yes, the World Cup is all about superstars. But the true joy of the tournament stems from the ways it brings communities and cultures together every four years. Soccer (or football, or fútbol) is the global game. It also carries a localized resonance in nearly every country on the map. This World Cup, with its expanded 48-team field, would directly touch more communities than ever before. What if we celebrated that local spirit rather than a few transcendent personalities? So as those 48 nations fell into place, Skalocky began reaching out to artists living in or strongly connected to each one with a simple ask: Create an illustration that captures the cultural heartbeat of soccer in your country.…