Ringing in 250 Years: MLB Unveils 2026 All-Star Game Logo in Philadelphia

The City of Brotherly Love will celebrate USA 250 with a few extra stars next Summer.

This afternoon, Major League Baseball and the Philadelphia Phillies unveiled the logo for the 2026 MLB All-Star Game. The 96th Midsummer Classic, set for July 14, 2026, will be played at Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park, coinciding with the 250th anniversary of United States independence.

The 2026 All-Star Game logo centers around a stylized Liberty Bell, presented in a red, white, and blue colour scheme. The cracked bell, an iconic symbol of both the city and the country’s independence, has also featured as a primary element in the host Phillies logos for several decades. Behind that bell is a large red and blue star. The name of the event, host city, and year appear in white across the middle of the design.

“We kept going back to the Liberty Bell,” said Jason Yeadon, Senior Creative Director of Major League Baseball, in a conversation with SportsLogos.net. “It has strong ties to the city and to America, especially as we approach the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence. From there, we started thinking about how the bell could translate into movement and animation, bringing in a modern approach to fireworks and the ringing of a bell.”

The influence of the Liberty Bell in this design didn’t stop there. The typography used in the logo also draws from the historic bell, as well as the Declaration of Independence, and the Phillies’ own visual identity.

“We studied the inscriptions on the Liberty Bell and the serif typeface used there. We took that font and blended it with Phillies-inspired serifs and curls, transforming it into something that feels familiar even if you’re not sure where you’ve seen it before. It feels like a natural extension of the club.”

Typography for the wordmark logos was based on a combination of the Liberty Bell and the Phillies own wordmarks

Texture was applied to the bell illustration to represent the city’s character, as well as the historical significance of the semiquincentennial celebration.

“We tried to come up with something that felt a little aged,” Yeadon recalled, “thinking about American history, we wanted to bring in some texture and grit. The Liberty Bell needed that same grit to connect with the rest of the pieces in the style guide.”

The dot pattern used in the final version was how the team tried to achieve that effect.

“The logo started out pretty clean. Then we began adding gradients and tested how real or vectorized the bell should look. In the end, the dot pattern elevated it, giving it a textured feel that carries throughout the rest of the program. It almost feels tactile.”

***The dot pattern applied to the Liberty Bell was added “to bring in some texture and grit”***

As with all recent All-Star logos, the primary design is merely one part of a larger style guide, which includes secondary marks, simplified designs, wordmarks, backgrounds, and other icons designed with animation in mind and created for better integration into digital platforms.

“We’re incorporating illustrations like Independence Hall and Citizens Bank Park [into other marks]. One key element is the dynamic star. We’re morphing and moving it to give the illusion of being in motion. We want to show how that star behind the bell can move.”

“Our goal was to represent stars, stripes, and fireworks in a unique way. As we thought about ringing the bell, we imagined how the sound echoes and flattens out, then brought that idea into animation.”

While the league doesn’t appear to be applying a totally templated All-Star Game logo, despite concerns raised last year, the structure of the logo does follow an overall formatting convention. Note some similarities with the 2025 logo, where we’re now seeing vaguely standardized placements of certain elements, such as the star, the league’s logo, the event name, host city and year, as well as the event’s sponsor.

The 2026 logo follows a similar overall structure to the 2025 logo. A possible semi-templated look moving forward?

“Placement-wise, MLB is always at the top, All-Star Game follows the batter, then Mastercard, and finally the city and year. That’s the structure we’ve used this year and previously, and it’ll likely continue.”

In the press release, the Commissioner, as well as several dignitaries, emphasized the significance of next year’s game and the logo that represents it.

“Major League Baseball is thrilled for Philadelphia to be the host city for the 2026 All-Star Game and
for America’s pastime to play a role in recognizing a momentous year in our nation’s history,” said
Commissioner of Baseball Robert D. Manfred, Jr. “Today’s logo unveiling sets the stage for a year-long celebration of our game and our country in the City of Brotherly Love. We are excited to work together with the Phillies and local officials to shine a light on Philadelphia’s rich history, culture and passionate fan base.”

“Philadelphia will be the place to be in 2026, and the Phillies are thrilled to join MLB in hosting the
Midsummer Classic,” said Phillies managing partner and CEO John Middleton. “Baseball fans will have the opportunity to take part in the activities and events that make All-Star Week a special experience. In
addition, the 250th birthday celebration of our great nation will give fans and visitors to our city an
opportunity to see Philadelphia in a unique light. We have no doubt that they will create wonderful
memories.”

“The crown jewel of Major League Baseball is making its return to Philadelphia, and we could not be
more excited,” said Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker. “This will be an incredible moment for our city as the 2026 MLB All-Star Week festivities are held during our nation’s semiquincentennial of American
independence.”

The game will mark the fifth time Philadelphia has hosted the All-Star Game, but the first to be played at Citizens Bank Park, which opened twenty-two years prior in 2004. Previous All-Star Games in Philly were held at the long-demolished Shibe Park in 1943 and 1952, as well as Veterans Stadium in 1976 and 1996. The 1976 game similarly marked a significant milestone in American history, coinciding with the country’s bicentennial. For those keeping score, this is the third consecutive Philadelphia All-Star Game to fall in a year ending in “6”.

Here’s a look back at baseball’s All-Star Game logo history, dating back nearly fifty years from 1978 in San Diego right up to the new 2026 logo next year in Philadelphia (psst: we go back even further in our MLB All-Star Logo history section):

Additional announcements about the designs and details for the 2026 MLB All-Star Week events, including the Home Run Derby, All-Star Futures Game, Celebrity Softball, and the MLB Draft, will be made in the months ahead.