Kolkata: As the FIFA World Cup expands its footballing map, Kolkata-based notaphilist Anindya Kar has created a unique paper trail of the tournament through currency. His collection features banknotes from all 48 participating countries of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, turning the expanded tournament into a compact archive of national identity, history, art, and economy. For Kar, each note is more than a collector's item; it is a cultural document carrying portraits, monuments, wildlife, scripts, symbols, and political memory from nations that will compete on football's biggest stage.
Historic 2026 World Cup
The 2026 edition is historic in several ways. For the first time, the World Cup is being hosted by three countries: the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The only previous multi-nation hosting arrangement was in 2002, when South Korea and Japan jointly staged the tournament. The number of participating teams has also increased from 32 to 48, bringing the total number of matches to 104. The expanded structure adds a round of 32 before the later knockout stages. The eventual champion will now play eight matches instead of seven, making the road to the trophy longer and more demanding.
A Collection Reflecting Global Diversity
Kar's collection mirrors this wider scale. Notes from football giants sit alongside currencies from countries making rare or first appearances on the global football stage. The presence of nations such as Curaçao, Cape Verde, Uzbekistan, and Jordan gives the collection added value, as their banknotes represent not only economies but also football milestones.
A distinctive feature of the display is European countries that now use the euro. The euro was introduced into circulation on January 1, 2002. Among the 27 European Union countries, 21 currently use the euro. For the 12 euro-using countries in the World Cup, Kar avoided routine euro notes and instead used earlier national currencies to give the collection an antique character.
Notable Banknotes in the Collection
- Belgium: A 1943 original Belgian 100 Francs banknote, denominated as 20 Belgas, with intricate Second World War-era artwork and a watermark of King Leopold I.
- Germany: A 20 Reichsmark note issued on January 22, 1929, during the Weimar Republic, featuring Werner von Siemens.
- Netherlands: A 25 Gulden note dated April 10, 1955, bearing the portrait of astronomer Christiaan Huygens.
- Austria: A 1916 one Krone note with a “DEUTSCHÖSTERREICH” overprint, issued by the Austro-Hungarian Bank.
- Curaçao: A one Gulden muntbiljet issued between 1942 and 1947, featuring Mercury and ships, printed by the American Bank Note Company.
Stories Beyond the Pitch
The notes tell stories beyond the pitch. Some carry images of writers, engineers, and monarchs; others show rivers, bridges, birds, architecture, and national symbols. A Bosnia and Herzegovina 200 Convertible Mark note in Kar's wider collection features Nobel Prize-winning author Ivo Andrić and the famous bridge on the Drina River.
For Kar, this is not a World Cup album of stickers, jerseys, or tickets. It is a tournament told through money — a display where football meets geography, diplomacy, design, and memory.
