Although football World Cup jerseys are likely just costly t-shirts, how many important moments in the history of the sport are preserved in the garb worn by the great teams? Brazil is infamous for winning over a generation of fans in 1970 with their yellow uniforms that sparkled even brighter on cutting-edge color televisions. The third kit that England wore to the World Cup in Italy last year is one of the few objects that best captures the rebirth of English youth culture in the 1990s. The debut of Nigeria’s 2018 jersey marked the culmination of sportswear’s influence on fashion.
Sadly, the majority of the kits that will be on show in Qatar fall short of those high standards. From Puma’s unimpressive assortment of away jerseys to whatever Nike did with their ticks on the USMNT kits, the designs are lackluster. Did Nike visit T.J. Maxx armed with a tonne of iron-on USA badges and $10 left over from their kit budget? Even as you gaze at them, these are so aggressively mid (grandad, look it up) that they immediately fade from your recollection. Maybe Gregg Berhalter has a brilliant scheme to lead his team to World Cup success.
10. South Korea, away
It’s difficult to completely shake the impression that this gear was created with rankings like these in mind and that Nike expects it to fly off the shelves in Peckham, Kreuzberg, and Williamsburg before Christmas. But regardless of how you look at it—cynically or not—you have to admit that shirt is incredibly fashionable. The Taegeuk, the greatest ultimate that is depicted on the South Korean flag, is honored by the blue and crimson streaks that go across the shirt. There’s probably some marketing jargon out there that can explain why the yellow was added, but it’s also rather lovely.
9. Croatia, home
Nobody will ever alter the design of a Porsche 911, the Apple logo, or the decision to hold the World Cup during the summer in the northern hemisphere. In a turbulent world, we can feel a little safer knowing that these fixed points will always be as they are now, exactly like the Croatian home uniform. You are aware of what you are getting. You can be sure that it will feature the stunning red and white checkerboard, and any “remix” will essentially only entail making room on the front of the kit for the player numbers. There are some things in life that you can rely on.
8. Denmark, away
When the Danish FA and uniform makers Hummel declared last month that they would reduce the prominence of their insignia on the World Cup uniforms because they “don’t wish to be prominent during a competition that has cost thousands of people their lives,” the announcement made headlines. These jerseys are now something that Danish players and supporters can proudly wear because it was the most potent statement that any of the competition’s competitors have yet to convey.
7. Germany, home
Can Football World Cup jerseys possess the arrogant confidence in their own dominance that the top German teams bring to major competitions? Yes. Sure, it can.
6. England, away
Here are some of Gareth Southgate’s men serving you some realness from the early 1990s. In all honesty, we only need a bucket hat to go full Madchester. We can be certain that in 20–30 years this specific design will be reinterpreted, remixed, and recreated if England manages to perform in Qatar in any way similar to what they did at the most recent World Cup or the European Championships (an incredibly open topic at this point).
5. Senegal, home
Puma has generally stumbled with its identikit strategy, forcing a perplexing away template on all of their representatives in Qatar that seems like it was downgraded from Nike’s T90 template. But with their home jersey, the Lions of Teranga have been given a real treasure, with the triple chevron motif flowing gracefully from the chest to the collar.
4. Netherlands, home
This may be the most divisive uniform in our rankings, one that is sure to cause the same controversy as Southampton’s away shirt did when we ranked and criticized the Premier League’s uniform. And to those detractors, I’ll ask: Who writes a piece for one of broadcasting’s most illustrious organizations? Regarding the uniform, it has a stunning velvet appearance that will only serve to accentuate Virgil van Dijk’s regal demeanor as he applies the afterburners to escape a sticky situation.
3. Japan, home
The masters of Football World Cup Jerseys are located here. I am sorry to discover that this may even be an improvement above the “cloud camouflage” print that Adidas chose for their 2020 home uniform. This time, the producers used anime as their source of inspiration to create a kinetic shirt that appears just as fantastic in real life as it does in stylized form. Perhaps the USMNT was simply stunned by how competent Hajime Moriyasu’s team appeared, which is why they played so poorly against them. And yeah, I’ve recycled this joke just like Puma recycled its away uniforms.
2. Tunisia, third
It is unclear if Tunisia will truly need to wear three uniforms at a World Cup where they are most likely only going to play that many games. It would be a scandal if Qatar did not get to see this piece of fried gold. The shield of the Carthaginian general Hannibal serves as the basis for the underlying design, and the olive-related color palette. Even by Kappa’s usual high standards for shirts—as seen by Venezia’s ascent to the status of the cult-est of cult kit designers—this is an astounding accomplishment.
1. Mexico, away
It had to be, period. Although Mexico doesn’t produce subpar kits, this one goes above the bounds of a t-shirt to achieve greater heights and without a doubt is one of the best Football World Cup jerseys of all time. The Brazil 1970 uniforms and Diego Maradona’s 1986 World Cup jersey will serve as the standard for all future World Cup uniforms.
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