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Cold War Steve on … Don Quixote and Sancho Panza coming to save the World Cup
This is a picture-led feature rather than a traditional news story: it presents the latest instalment in the Guardian's ongoing series of World Cup 2026-themed satirical collages by the artist Cold War Steve. The piece, published to mark the tournament, uses the artist's signature cut-and-paste style to imagine Don Quixote and Sancho Panza arriving to "save" the World Cup, blending literary and pop-culture imagery with football commentary in his characteristic satirical tone.
The article itself contains no accompanying text beyond the image caption, as it forms part of a themed collage series tied to England, Spain and Argentina's involvement in the tournament. It is the fifth entry in this recurring collaboration between Cold War Steve and the Guardian, continuing his tradition of using absurdist, densely layered imagery to comment on football and current events.
In short
- Cold War Steve releases fifth World Cup 2026 satirical collage for the Guardian.
- Latest work depicts Don Quixote and Sancho Panza "saving" the World Cup.
- Part of an ongoing themed series tied to the tournament.
Explained simply
Cold War Steve is a British artist known for creating satirical collages that comment on contemporary issues and popular culture. The Guardian has commissioned an ongoing series of his works timed around the 2026 World Cup, blending his distinctive visual style with football-related themes.
His artistic approach involves cutting and pasting images from existing sources – photographs, film stills, artwork – to create dense, often absurdist compositions. Rather than using words, he communicates his commentary through these visual combinations, which tend to be surreal and thought-provoking whilst maintaining a sharp satirical edge.
This particular piece features characters from Cervantes' Don Quixote and is the fifth in the Guardian's series. It forms part of broader coverage tied to England, Spain and Argentina's involvement in the 2026 tournament. The collage format allows him to pack multiple layers of meaning into single images, commenting simultaneously on football, culture and current affairs through visual wit and clever imagery.