MEXICO CITY (AP) — Julián Quiñones and Raúl Jiménez may have scored the goals, but a duck stole the show.
As Mexico celebrated its World Cup-opening victory over South Africa on Thursday, Merlin, a 2-year-old duck dressed in the national team’s colors, became an unlikely internet sensation and the tournament’s first unofficial mascot.
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A duck named Merlin wears a Mexico national soccer team jersey, during the World Cup in Mexico City, Monday, June 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)
People take pictures of a duck named Merlin, dressed in a Mexico national soccer team jersey, at a park in Mexico City, Monday, June 15, 2026, during the World Cup. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)
Carla Gomez blows on to her duck Merlin, dressed in a Mexico national soccer team jersey, at a park in Mexico City, during the World Cup, Monday, June 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)
A duck named Merlin, dressed in a Mexico national soccer team jersey, stands at a cafe next to his caretaker Cristian Gomez in Mexico City, Monday, June 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)
A duck named Merlin, dressed in a Mexico national soccer team jersey, follows his caretaker Christian Gomez as they cross the street in Mexico City, Monday, June 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)
Images of Merlin parading through Mexico City, wearing a Mexican national team jersey — and socks — as thousands of fans celebrated, quickly went viral, racking up millions of views across social media. Overnight, and as if by the magic of the famous wizard who inspired his name, Merlin had captivated the internet.
“We want to see Merlin in the stadium,” one user wrote. “This duck is already a national treasure,” said another. “The best thing about the World Cup so far,” declared a third.
In Mexico City, however, Merlin was already something of a local celebrity.
A familiar sight at fairs and events in the historic city center, the duck regularly accompanies his owner, Carla Gómez, who sells water and soft drinks from a little cart each weekend. Along the way, the animal attracts plenty of delighted squeals, affectionate greetings and eager requests from passersby for a photo together.
“We don’t like to leave him alone at home; we like him to be with us. He’s our baby,” Gómez said. “He’s the baby, the sole heir to all my possessions and now an idol.”
Rain or shine, Merlin follows Gómez and her young son Cristian through some of the capital’s best-known landmarks, including Alameda Central, the Palace of Fine Arts and the Zócalo square. The duck shares a particularly close bond with Cristian, for whom he was originally a gift, becoming what Gómez describes as the boy's inseparable companion.
“Merlin had already become famous for selling bottled water,” Gómez said, recalling her surprise at her pet’s sudden rise to fame.
“He is always with us; we never imagined he’d become such a sensation,” she added. “We weren’t expecting it.”
On Monday, Gómez — and Merlin — met with FIFA representatives to shoot photos and a commercial. Now, the family hopes Mexico’s famous feathered supporter can continue bringing luck to the host nation, which is staging the World Cup for the third time after hosting the tournament in 1970 and 1986 — this time a co-host alongside Canada and the United States.
“Mexico, we are with you,” Gómez said. “And Merlin is your No. 1 fan.”
AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup
A duck named Merlin wears a Mexico national soccer team jersey, during the World Cup in Mexico City, Monday, June 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)
People take pictures of a duck named Merlin, dressed in a Mexico national soccer team jersey, at a park in Mexico City, Monday, June 15, 2026, during the World Cup. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)
Carla Gomez blows on to her duck Merlin, dressed in a Mexico national soccer team jersey, at a park in Mexico City, during the World Cup, Monday, June 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)
A duck named Merlin, dressed in a Mexico national soccer team jersey, stands at a cafe next to his caretaker Cristian Gomez in Mexico City, Monday, June 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)
A duck named Merlin, dressed in a Mexico national soccer team jersey, follows his caretaker Christian Gomez as they cross the street in Mexico City, Monday, June 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)
Having devoted much of her childhood and teenage years to her single-minded intention of becoming an elite hockey player, defender Caroline Harvey had little time to stop and consider there being more to life than skates, sticks and pucks.
It wasn’t until Harvey was sidelined by a left knee injury early into her sophomore season at Wisconsin when the realization flickered.
“It taught me how to have more balance,” Harvey said of the time she missed rehabbing an injured medial patellofemoral ligament in the fall of 2023.
Rather than review film to dissect her performance as she would do most nights, Harvey learned to turn off her phone. She got into yoga, started doing breathing exercises, took up cooking and even thrifting. Just as important was Harvey watching from the stands to gain perspective and find her voice in providing feedback to teammates during and after games.
“I am grateful for it now looking back, and as much as it sucked,” she said. “It did teach me a lot about myself that I didn’t know before. And it helped me mature a lot.”
At 23, Harvey already is one of the most accomplished players in women's hockey. She is coming off a senior season in which she won a third NCAA title and was named college hockey’s MVP. Internationally, she was the Olympic tournament’s MVP while winning gold representing the U.S. at the Milan Cortina Games in February.
Next up is turning pro. Harvey leads what’s regarded as the PWHL’s most talented prospect class and is projected to go first in the draft in Detroit on Wednesday.
Vancouver holds the No. 1 pick, followed by Seattle. The four expansion teams were slotted pick Nos. 3-6.
Las Vegas has two first-round selections following a sign-and-trade deal sending Hilary Knight to Detroit. Las Vegas landed Detroit's pick at No. 3 and has been awarded the No. 5 selection. The deal will be official once the PWHL's trade deadline lifts Tuesday.
The bumper crop of prospects features five U.S. Olympic teammates, including Wisconsin’s Laila Edwards and Minnesota forward Abbey Murphy, plus several European Olympians.
There's no doubt in U.S. coach John Wroblewski's mind about who deserves to go first.
“The accolades that she’s racked up before she’s even graduated college is unprecedented,” he said. “It’s a no-brainer.”
Harvey is a strong and gifted skater who is rarely out of position defensively and a deft playmaker. With two goals and seven assists in seven games, she had nine points at the Olympics to tie for the tournament lead. And she completed her college career with 54 goals and 201 points in 147 games, including consecutive 60-point seasons.
“She is the most beautiful, fastest skater I’ve ever seen,” said U.S. teammate and PWHL veteran Hayley Scamurra, who also believes Harvey will be chosen first. “Just unbelievable. She’s such a great player, and I cannot wait to see her in the pro league.”
Harvey is from Pelham, New Hampshire, and got into hockey as a youngster after attending her older brother’s practices. Her father would rent out rink time and the two would make the half-hour drive to North Andover, Massachusetts, for individual sessions. By high school, Harvey moved to Rochester, New York, to attend the BK Selects hockey academy.
Harvey delayed her first college season to make her Olympic debut at the 2022 Beijing Games.
The U.S. settled for silver in a tournament that proved to be a disappointment for Harvey. She was held without a point and benched for a majority of the knockout rounds after losing the faith of former coach Joel Johannson.
In replacing Johannson, Wroblewski identified Harvey’s abilities and immediately began building her confidence by encouraging her to play without fear.
In the four years since, Wroblewski has watched a once shy and soft-spoken Harvey grow into an assertive player and person.
“I think we’re just getting a glimpse of what that looks like in her maturation process,” he said.
“It just so happens that this young woman is supremely gifted with athleticism and electricity and everything that goes into being a superstar hockey player. And it all meets up with the fact that she loves what she’s doing and destined to be here,” Wroblewski added. “It’s a rare quality that you find in superstar athletes. And (she’s) got the je ne sais quoi.”
Harvey has become more comfortable talking about herself, even though she declines to guess when she’ll be drafted.
“They can’t honestly go wrong with who they pick because this draft class is just so deep,” she said. “And I’m just going to be grateful that night if I hear my name called.”
It’s not a matter of if.
Harvey can reflect on the long hours she’s put in on the ice, in weight rooms and playing far away from home to appreciate what she has so far accomplished.
“It’s being satisfied in a sense of like, yes, you can look back at the accomplishments, but you just always want more,” Harvey said, no different from how she's approached perfecting her game. “Part of it's I don't want to look back and be like, ‘Oh, I could have done better.’ I don't want to ever underachieve.”
AP women’s hockey: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-hockey
FILE - United States' Caroline Harvey shoots on goal during a preliminary round match of women's ice hockey between Switzerland and United States at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, File)
