World Cup ’26: Group Stage, Kit Review

We are at that point where the first set of teams are heading home, the Group Stage concluded on 27th June (well 28th June in Europe). 16 Teams have been eliminated, as we head into the Knockout phase of the competition.

It is time for me to take a look at the Kits worn through-out the Group Stages and those worn in the last round of games.

1st Round of Group games can be found here

2nd Round of Group games can be found here

Overview of Kits

Total Kits Used

  • Kits Worn in Total – 102
  • New Kits in Round 3 of games – 19
  • Primary Kits in Total – 61
  • Secondary Kits in Total – 36
  • 3rd Kits in Total – 5
  • 12 teams to wear three different kits in their three group games
  • 30 Teams wore two different kits
  • 6 Teams have worn a single kit look
  • 4 Teams in Primary, Secondary and Third Kits.

Match 3 Fixtures

Looking into the Groups in more detail…

Group A – 9 Kits

Mexico are the stand out team in Group A, wearing Primary, Secondary and Third Kits in their 3 games. South Africa wore just their Primary Kit, but with alternative yellow shorts in 2 of their games. Both Czechia and South Korea wore Primary Kits twice and Secondary Kits just the once.

Group B – 9 Kits

Canada, the second co-hosts to wear all three (Primary, Secondary and Third) Kits in their Group Games are the majorty talking point with regards to Kit usage in Group B. The remaining teams wore Primary / Secondary Kits with no variations, with Switzerland wearing their Primary Kit twice and Qatar, Bosnia & Hertzegovina both wearing their secondary kits twice.

Group C – 9 Kits

Another Group with 9 Kits in total, and another team with 3 different kits in their 3 games, this time Brazil wore a variation of their Primary Kit with alternative white shorts against Scotland. The other teams were in 2 different kit looks, Morocco in their Primary Kit twice, Haiti in their Secondary Kit twice and Scotland wore their Primary Kit twice and wore their Secondary Kit with alternative salmon socks.

Group D – 9 Kits

Our fourth group in a row with 9 Kits and USA complete the hat-trick of Hosts wearing 3 different kits in their group games, however unlike Mexico and Canada who wore three distinct kits, USA done this with a variation of their Primary Kit with white alternative shorts worn in their opening game. Australia wore their Primary Kit in all their games but with an all (canary) yellow look used. Paraguay wore their Primary Kit just once and did so with alternative white shorts.

Group E – 8 kits

Our first group with under 9 Kits, however the run of teams wearing 3 different Kits continues with Ecuador, who wore a mash up of the Secondary / Third Kits, Primary Kit in all yellow and finally their Primary Kit in it’s default look in their final group game against Germany. Ivory Coast are our first team to wear a single kit look in the Group Stage and Curaçao wear one of the teams with the most popular secondary kits in the competition, however they did not get to use it, wearing 2 variations of their Primary kit in their games.

Group F – 8 Kits

Group F, provided each team in 2 different Kit looks… Netherlands and Japan both wore 2 variations of their Primary Kit, both wearing alternative shorts to create a single colour kit look in one game. Sweden wore their Secondary Kit once and used alternative yellow shorts.

Group G – 6 Kits

Group G is the first group where we saw a single kit worn and in fact there was two, with Belgium and Iran both only wearng their Primary Kit. Eygpt wore both their kits with different shorts, wearing their Primary twice with secondary shorts and vice versa when wearing their Secondary Kit. New Zealand wearing both their kits meant it was just the 6 Kits worn in this group!

Group H – 10 Kits

10 Kits in Group H the most kits in a single group, with both Uruaguay and Cape Verde in three different kits in their three games. Cape Verde wore Primary, Secondary and Third Kits, Uruguay started the tournament in their Primary Kit with alternative white shorts, and then wore both Primary and Secondary Kits in their default looks. Spain wore their popular Secondary Kit with alternative white shorts and socks when they used it in their final game.

Group I – 9 Kits

We are back to the 9 Kit Groups with Group I, France the team here to wear three different kit looks, with Primary and Secondary worn and then an “All Blue” alternative Primay look. Norway wore their Primary Kit twice (my favourite shirt of the tournament), however they wore it with alterntative red shorts and socks, this is the third different colour shorts they have worn in the kit’s short lifespan! Senegal wore their Primary Kit in all three games, but used green shorts in their opening game.

Group J – 9 Kits

Another 9 Kit Group, Holders Argentina started the tournament in the look they ended the 2022 Victory with alternative white shorts and socks, following this up with Primary and Secondary kits in their default looks. Austria were another team to wear their Primary Kit in all three games but with a single alternative look, this was with white shorts.

Group K – 7 Kits

Our first group with 7 Kits, however the main kit talking point was Colombia in this group, with three different kits used, however all three looks wear alternative looks, with Secondary worn with alternative neon socks, and Primary worn once with alternative white shorts and once with alternative white socks! Two teams were in a single kit look, Portugal and Uzebekistan, who wore their secondary all white kit in their three games. DR Congo, who progressed through to the knock out phase wearing their third kit in their final game.

Group L – 9 Kits

The final group and it’s another group with 9 kits (7 in total). There were two teams with three different kit looks, with Panama wearing Primary, Secondary and Third Kits, England wore Primary and Secondary Kits, and also wore their Primary Kit with their secondary shorts for a kit mash up! Ghana wore just the one kit, however this was their secondary kit.

Kit Highlights from Match 3

It looks like Guillermo Ochoa played his final game of his career, coming on as a sub in Mexico’s victory against Czechia, this is his 6th time being part of the Mexican World Cup Squad and wearing ths wonderful goalkeeper kit (with tri-colour Adidas Stripes and Trefoil logo) with a “Legcay” Player patch.

Scotland’s current use of all navy blue for their Primary Kit, meant that Brazil used alternative white shorts a look not worn at World Cups by Brazil since the 3rd/4th Place Off in 2014!

England wore a change kit at Major Championship Finals for the first time in 2906 Days, back to the 3rd/4th Placed Playoff game in 2018… 21 games in total!

Colombia wore alternative white socks in their final game against Portugal, these completed their use of alternative kit looks in their group games, and just look at those turnovers… wonderful stuff!

Norway against France was a really nice match up, Norway for the second game in wearing alternative red shorts and socks to create an “All Red” look.

With Germany moving to Nike in 2027, the US Based Brand delivered one of the ingenious pieces of marketing on Thursday, with German team playing at New Jersey Stadum this advert featuring a pixelated image of Jamal Musiala sailed down the neighbouring Hudson River.

That’s it, the Group Stages are done, we will be back at the end of the Tournament with a final round up of World Cup ’26 Kits!

Let me know your thoughts and comments over at my socials.

X – @kit_geek or Bluesky – Kit Geek

Other Posts you may enjoy

World Cup ’26 – Match 1

World Cup ’26 – Match 2

World Cup 2022

England Kit Review 2026

England Kit History

World Cup ’26: Kit Review, Match 2

The second round of fixtures for the 2026 World Cup are now completed, 48 games down… 56 to go!

The use of “Home” and “Away” kit labels are do not feel right when it comes to International Tournaments, I will refer to them as “Primary” and “Secondary” choice kits.

You can found Round 1 of games here

Overview of Kits

There has been some additions of kits here, some 3rd Kits added (Mexico, Cape Verde).

Total Kits Used

  • Kits Worn in Total – 83
  • New Kits in Round 2 of games – 35
  • Primary Kits in Total – 54
  • Secondary Kits in Total – 26
  • 3rd Kits in Total – 3

Match 2 Fixtures

Kit Highlights

There have been 35 teams to wear two different kits in their opening two games, of which 12 of these wore the same kit in two different variations.

13 Teams have worn the same Kit (and variation) in their opening two games, just 27% of the teams competing, of these teams, Bosnia & Hertzegovina, Haiti, Paraguay, Uzebekistan and Ghana have worn their Secondary Kits in both games.

The game between Japan and Tunisia was the 1000th Game at World Cup Finals, and it was celebrated with special patches on both kits but also the referee’s kit, which along with the patch used gold Adidas stripes and trim!!

There have been some 3rd Kits seen in these round of games, with Mexico, Cape Verde and Panama all using their 3rd Kit!

Cape Verde against Uruaguay.

Mexico… A wonderful Kit Match Up, co-hosts Mexico playing against South Korea in Group A, both teams in change kits likely due to colourblind regulations but what we given was a fantastic pair of kits matched up against each other!

Panama in 3rd Kt against Croatia

Brazil took to the field in a World Cup game in a Kit that did not carry the Nike Logo for the first time since 1994 World Cup Final. Their Secondary Kit carries the Jordan “Jumpman” logo, part of the Nike Family but only previously seen on PSG Kits.

Ecuador made it two games in a row wearing a variation of their kits, after mashing up Secondary and 3rd Kits in their opening game, they wore all yellow as a Primary variation.

Colombia were another team to wear two variations of kits, having worn alternative socks with their Secondary Kit in the opening game, they wore their Primary Kit with alternative white shorts.

England wore their Primary Kit in what looks like traditional colours, but this is actually a mash up, the navy shorts are the shorts with their secondary kit, which as we predicted here could offer some interchangability to their kits.

That’s it for the second round of fixtures, we will be back with the final round of games in each of the groups.

Let me know your thoughts and comments over at my socials.

X – @kit_geek or Bluesky – Kit Geek

Other Posts you may enjoy

World Cup ’26 – Match 1

World Cup 2022

England Kit Review 2026

England Kit History

World Cup ’26: Kit Review, Match 1

The World Cup is well and truly underway, we have now seen each of the 48 Nations take to the field, so time to have a look at the kits worn so far by each of the teams.

The use of “Home” and “Away” kit labels are do not feel right when it comes to International Tournaments, I will refer to them as “Primary” and “Secondary” choice kits.

Overview of Kits

A few stats….

For the total of 48 kit appearances, we have seen “Primary” Kits (and variations) used 87.5% and “Secondary” kits (and variations) used 12.5% of the time, with only four Nations in their secondary kit!

Primary – 34

Primary variations – 8 (South Africa, USA, Curaco, Netherlands, Uruguay, Senegal, Norway, Argentina)

Secondary – 14

Secondary variations – 4 (Scotland, Ecuador, Egypt, Colombia) 

One of the first things to call out are the use of patches by the teams, there are several different patches used by the nations, players and for each game.

Teams will wear patches in black or white on their right arm, it appears nations will these patches on Primary and Secondary Kits with alternative used on each, for example…. a nation will wear the white patch on their Primary Kit and Black Patch on their Secondary Kit.

Past winners will have Gold Patches, these six nations again will rotate, gold and white / gold patches with Primary and Secondary Kits.

The Left Arm will have unique patches for each game in tournament, with messages in different colours for each of the game as we move through the tournament.

There are other patches, which appear to be “stickers” on player shirts.

Players making their debut at the World Cup, will wear this patch.

There are also personal awards being worn as patches, Thibaut Courtois wore a “golden glove” patch on his for winning the award in the 2018 Competition.

Lionel Messi wore two patches on his shirt, a “Legacy” patch to celebrate becoming the first male player to play in 6 different World Cups and a bagde (under his captain’s armband) for this player of tournament wins (2014 / 2022).

Match 1 Fixtures

In the opening game between Mexico and South Africa, the South Africian team wore alternative yellow shorts with their Primary Kit, these are bespoke pair of shorts, as their secondary shorts are white (and Adidas Trefoil branded).

Adidas CEO, Björn Gulden “celebrated” the start of the World Cup by wearing a “half and half” shirt of the two teams in the opening fixture. This is very much considered to be a one off to kick the World Cup off!

The much anticipated return of the Adidas Trefoil to the International Stage is happening in this tournament and the first team to wear their change kit containing the logo was Scotland, in their victory against Haiti in Foxborough, MA. They wore the Kit with alternative “salmon” socks.

Ecuador wore a mash up of the change and 3rd Kits, wearing their Change shirt (navy) with their 3rd shorts and socks (white).

Norway wore their Primary Kit with alternative red shorts and socks, this is the 3rd different colour shorts worn with the kit in it’s short life (white as default look and Navy have been worn).

Argentina ended the 2022 World Cup wearing alternative white shorts and socks with their Primary Kit (wearing it in Quarter-Finals, Semi-Finals and the Final), a look they kicked off this tournament in, which was a surprise as the much leaked kit document had the holders in their default look with Navy Shorts and socks and opponents Algeria in white shorts / socks.

Colombia against Uzbekistan saw both Nations in change kits, with Colombia wearing alternative fluorescent socks with their Change Kit.

That’s it for the first round of fixtures, we will be back next week with the second games in each of the groups. Let me know your thoughts and comments over at my socials.

X – @kit_geek or Bluesky – Kit Geek

Adidas – World Cup ’26, International Kits

In terms of qualifying the “Road to World Cup 2026” is well underway, however the real start of World Cup Fever kicked off this week with Adidas launching this International Kits for the next two year cycle, so lets take a closer look at some of these kits and just for fun I have rated them!

Germany – Let’s kick off with one of the most anticipated kits, with this being the final Adidas Kit for it’s Home Nation for the foreseeable future (never say never). For me it does not disappoint and is one of the best kits of this launch, a look taking inspiration from 1990 and 1994 World Cup’s, this is going to be a hit for fans and football shirt collectors, and the long sleeve version is simply wonderful… and check the socks out, they will not disappoint!

Kit Geek Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Argentina – World Cup holders Argentina have a thick stripe to this shirt, the thicker Adidas Stripes (as you can see on all shirts) being black take a little some focus away from the overall look of the shirt, especially as the stripes are blue in the shorts, overall it’s OK but for me should have been better.

Kit Geek Rating ⭐⭐⭐

Spain – This is my favourite of the Adidas kits launched, a Spain shirt with a twist. The use of dark blue raglan sleeves here works really well, the Adidas stripes in the traditional Spanish colours are fantastic and are the only Country that have this take to the “3 Stripes”, the pinstripe in the body of the shirt is just subtle enough that lifts the overall look…

Kit Geek Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Italy – Italy have not qualified for the World Cup since Adidas has supplied their kits, so this (as long as they do qualify this time around) will be the first time The “Azzurri” have donned the 3 Stripes at this stage. Again another kit that is passable but the gold detailing does not work for me, especially with the opportunity to use the three stripes in the Italian Flag colours.

Kit Geek Rating ⭐⭐

Belgium – Belgium shirts often use different shades of red, this time is a vibrant red, paired with black and yellow detailing in collars, cuffs give a nice overall look to this kit, black shorts and socks as well and this is one of the nicest overall looks from this launch.

Kit Geek Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Mexico – Returning to Green as Primary colour (as standard within World Cup Cycles), this shirt is another looking back to the 90s, with this “Aztec” pattern in the body of the shirt. Nice use of red / white within the collars and cuffs gives a nice balance to what is ticks all the boxes of what you would expect form a Mexico Shirt, but overall my least favourite of the shirts we are looking at here.

Kit Geek Rating

Japan – Adidas and Japan is often a partnership that delivers, although this shirt is fairly simple in it’s design compared to some recent years, it works in it elegance, some nice design elements, I would have like to have seen the cuffs with red / white trim (as the collar) but overall a solid kit.

Kit Geek Rating ⭐⭐⭐

Colombia – A fairly standard looking kit for Colombia, the use of red Adidas stripes and then just the blue trim within the collar and cuffs works very well in my eyes. Interesting pattern within the shirt which are “butterfly motifs inspired by magical realism”, this adds some depth to overall look.

Kit Geek Rating ⭐⭐⭐

Wales – With many kits looking to the 90s, its refreshing in some ways to see a kit that looks to the 80’s, with this Wales kit. Again using green as one of the accent colours works well and lifts the kit from standard template to something with a bespoke feel. The central chest band design element is great and this one of the few shirts that has National Crest and Adidas Logo centrally placed.

Kit Geek Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Sweden – I like this one, and is inspired by the 70’s (apparently). The pattern in the shirt is inspired by the “popular flower stitching found on jeans and traditional Swedish folk dresses from the era”. What works for me is the use of blue across the shoulders, not going full raglan but this use of colour and then with the white Adidas stripes works well in my eyes.

Kit Geek Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Peru – The Peru kit is one that is difficult to much with given it’s iconic sash, this is a solid effort with some detailing with sash itself that is nice but the choice of design in the overall sash, making it blocky may take some getting used too, maybe they were inspired by my kit illustrations which use this look with sash shirts (of course not!).

Kit Geek Rating ⭐⭐⭐

Scotland – Adidas and Scotland is another one of the relationships that just feels right and I have really liked the kits produced in the 15 years they have been in partnership. This one is another great shirt, with a really nice subtle “Saltire” within the shirt’s body. My only complaint with the kit is the that this look is all Navy Blue, I preference is seeing Scotland in white shorts and red socks.

Kit Geek Rating ⭐⭐⭐

Algeria – The Algeria shirt is another kit that uses colours of it’s flag within the collar and cuffs, this use of green and red really lifts the shirt in my eyes. An interesting pattern with the shirt and certainly helps raise the overall look away from a standard looking template.

Kit Geek Rating ⭐⭐⭐

Costa Rica – There is plenty going on here, a vibrant looking shirt with pink detailing being inspired by “Guaria Morada orchid”, the country’s national flower. I think this shirt will prove very popular with Kit Lovers next summer, and one we will see a lot of.

Kit Geek Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Northern Ireland – This is an interesting design, there is blend of green tones with a pattern inspired by the “transatlantic ships traditionally built in Belfast’s shipyards”. The look creates a halved shirt, something a little different in International Football Shirts, so I am all for those choices. Matched with green shorts and white socks, so as regular readers will know I love a contrasting sock look!

Kit Geek Rating ⭐⭐⭐

There we have it, the build up to the World Cup has started, Any thoughts and comments about these Adidas Kits please let me know over at my Socials…

X – @kit_geek or Bluesky – Kit Geek

And if you are interested in buying one of these shirts please check out the link below – https://kitbag.evyy.net/KitGeek

World Cup Kit Log, Group Stage Round 3

48 games….. 8 completed groups…. 32 teams and 62 kits used….!!

We have reached the end of the Group Stage with the final rounds completed and the biggest take away for me in this, is that 30 of 32 teams have worn both their kits.  There has been some interesting choices in using the “Second” choice kits for clashes and in some cases both team turning to their “Second” kits when there would have no real clash in using their “First” choice kits, FIFA or Manufacturer’s marketing their products, we will probably never know.

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Kits used for the first time in the Competition in this round:

  • Russia, Second kit
  • Spain, First kit
  • Morocco, Second kit
  • France, Second kit
  • Peru, Second kit
  • Germany, Second kit

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I want to call out the Germany kit here, this kit really is magnificent and for me one of the best kits seen produced in the recent years and unfortunately due to the team’s performance at this World Cup will always be remembered as the kit that was worn when they were knocked out the Competition

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We are still yet to see the full Colombia first choice kit, both appearances of the shirt have been matched with white shorts and socks, a surprising choice as not sure the blue shorts/red socks would have clashed too much with the all green kit of Senegal.

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Japan and Poland meet in their final Group games, a game that saw the only two teams to wear their “First” choice shirts for all three games in the group, however Poland did use white shorts, to create an all white kit which was a variation from their home kit, leaving Japan on their own as the only team to use one full kit for the Group Stage.

Round 3 kit highlights:

  • Germany’s kit, a thing of beauty that will now be remember for the wrong reasons
  • Japan wearing the full kit for all three games, only team to do so.
  • Finding out that teams have to nominate bib colours as well each game

My favourite kit of the round is the Germany kit.

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To see my look at the previous games in the Group Stage check these posts out…

World Cup Kit Log, Group Stage Round 1

World Cup Kit Log, Group Stage Round 2

World Cup Kit Log, Group Stage Round 2

In what seems to be a flash of the eye we have reached the end of round 2 of the group games in the 2018 World Cup is over, no more 3 games spread over the day!

Looking at the kits used, the biggest thing that stands out for me is 24 out of the 32 teams have worn both there kits and there has been question as to reason that Countries have made these changes, especially as in the past the same teams have met and been able to wear their first choice kits.  Is this also a marketing ploy by kit manufacturers to maximise sales of kits or stricter FIFA ruling in terms of kit usage or maybe a combination of both….

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Russia’s socks were changed from the first game, on of my highlights of the first round of games (World Cup Kit Log, Group Stage Round 1) this was reported due to the top of the sock would clash with Egypt’s socks.  Another team that used their “First” choice kit for a second time with a variation was France, who wore a striking combination against Peru, with the dark blue shorts combined with the dark blue shirt and red socks for one of the complete kit highlights of the tournament so far for me.

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Nigeria used their much talked about “first” choice kit, this really is something completely new and I think the reason why it works so well and looks great in action. I also really like the Sweden “second” choice kit, the rich blue and yellow complimented each other perfectly and really stood out as a great kit.

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The highlight of these games for me was Mexico’s kit, a stunning kit, the deeper shades of Red and Green used in a classic style and design not often seen with the two horizontal stripes on the shirt, just stands out as a class kit.

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My final highlight is Colombia, that stunning blue kit based from the kit worn by many teams in 90s but interestingly not Colombia as far as I can tell, match with the bright orange trim, orange tonal badge, throw in the sea of yellow, blue and red in the crowd it just looks amazing all round and then David Ospina’s goalkeeper kit which is a call back to the Rene Higuita’s kit, a black kit with purple, green detailing and pink tonal badge…. Colombia creating a festival of colour!

Round 2 Kit Highlights:

  • France’s variation of “first” choice kit against Peru
  • Mexico’s kit… stunning!
  • Sweden in Blue
  • Colombia and all the colours….!

I am going to split my favourite kit of this round of game between two… including a goalkeeper kit… Mexico and the Colombian Goalkeeper kit.

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And so on to Round 3 of group games….!

World Cup Kit Log, Group Stage Round 1

The World Cup is well and truly underway, we have now seen each of the 32 teams take to the field, so time to review the kits worn so far by each of the teams.

I am still not 100% sure whether the “Home” and “Away” kit labels are completely correct when it comes to International Tournaments, I think for the time being I will refer to them as “First” and “Second” choice kits.

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A few stats….

For the total of 32 kit appearances, we have seen “First” Kits (and variations) used 66% and “Second” kits (and variations) used 34% of the time.

First Choice – 15

First Choice variations – 6 (Egypt, France, Denmark, Croatia, Costa Rica, Colombia)

Second Choice – 8

Second Choice variations – 3 (Uruguay, Argentina, England) 

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It is nice to see some of these kits finally in action, the Adidas kits have stood out to me, in particular the Argentina kit and the Mexico kit, I also want to call out the Iceland kit here as well, whether it was the contrast with the black Argentinian kit or the bright white kit on a summer’s day but it really seemed to work, coupled with a goalkeeper kit that is of the same template in red, the package just works for me….. well played Errea.

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England went for an all red kit, the first time they have worn an away kit (which also was all red) at a World Cup since 2010, to be fair that was only three games! I thought this looked great, the red shorts and in particular the red tonal badge and Nike “swoosh”, really worked and gave the kit a more modern balance in terms of colour.

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Overall kit highlights for me…

  • Russia’s socks
  • Argentina v Iceland…. (maybe the new Scotland v Denmark in Mexico 86 for World Cup kit match up perfection… I have gone too far, I know)
  • Mexico’s kit
  • England all in red

For me, my favourite kit on show so far, is this combination of “Second” choice shirt and socks, with “First” choice away shorts from Argentina

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Round 1 of games is now complete, what are your favourite kits on show and will we see more variations of kits through out round 2 of games.

England Kits at World Cups

2018 World Cup fever is just starting to ramp up, I though the time would be right to look at some of the kits worn in previous tournaments by the Three Lions.

England’s first World Cup was in 1950 hosted by Brazil and where they played only the three group games with the second of these games being famous for a defeat from the USA, wearing second kit at the time which was royal blue (the first of only two times that England would wear blue shirts at World Cups.

In 1954 England only played group games with very little change to kit, the only variation from the normal “home” kit was in the third game of 1954 where red socks were used instead of regular blue socks and by the team the 1958 tournament came around, red socks were part of the standard kit, however in 1958 a play off game against the Soviet Union was needed to determine who would progress from the group.

In 1962 was the same shirt as 1958 but for the first time paired with navy blue shorts and white socks and as an alternative all white. This World Cup was also the first time that England wore red, with an all red strip worn in the third group game against Bulgaria.

1966…… well the pinnacle of performance at World Cups on the pitch and many argue the pinnacle of kits too.  The iconic kit that was also used in 1970, England wore their “home” kit in all games (with all white combo in Quarter Final match up with Argentina) and of course famously wore their Red Shirts, White Shorts, Red Socks combination in the final against West Germany.

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Moving on to 1970, again the holders wore the same kit as the previous tournament but this one had a subtle difference with an Airtex (little holes) in the kit to help the temperature and humidity at Mexico, there was also a third kit used (for the one and only time as a full kit) which was Sky Blue.

England failed to qualify for next to tournaments, so the next time they would appear was in 1982, the kit landscape was starting to change at this point (see my review of the kits worn in Spain 82 here.  Admiral were now the supplier and produced one of the all time classic kits in terms of design for the tournament. With both red and white shirts worn, this really proved a hit with fans and one that will often be seen in crowds now at England games.

1986 saw a quick return for the Three Lions to Mexico, again a special kit was created by Umbro which was designed to combat the conditions.  England only used their “home” shirts here, however in the quarter final against Argentina, this shirt was combined with the third kit’s sky blue shorts and socks for a unique combination never to be seen again. (for a full Mexico 86 review click here.

In Italia 90, again another tournament fondly remembered by England fans, they only used their home kit (in 7 games, the most games played by England in a single tournament), having registered both away and third kits for the tournament. (Kit Log – World Cup, USA 1994)

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After missing USA 94, England next qualified for France 98, with classic mid 90s design from Umbro, wearing both home and away kits within their group and then using an all white kit in the game against Argentina in the first knock out round, this was the first time England had worn all white at a World Cup since 1970. (Kit Log – World Cup, France 1998)

2002, the first (and so far only) tournament to be co-hosted, Umbro introduced a red stripe down the home one side of the home shirt. The away kit is also worth a mention as it was marketed at the time to be a reversible shirt with a Navy Blue “training / leisure” shirt on the inside for the replica kits, I am going to assume that the player version were missing this feature of the shirt. (Kit Log – World Cup, Korea/Japan 2002)

2006, again saw red play a feature on the home shirt, this time in the form of a cross on the shoulder, the away kit only made one appearance and there was an element of gold in this kit, with gold fonts and numbers used as part of the kit.

2010, saw Umbro produce a kit that brilliant in its simplicity, a change saw the “home” kit become all white for the first time and was the flagship kit for the “Tailored by Umbro” range, the kit was paired with an equally elegant red away kit and although was initially partnered with white shorts but was used as an all red alternative through the tournament.

Finally this review brings us to 2014 tournament in Brazil, one where FIFA introduced single colour kits for all teams (apart from those that stripes, etc…. and Brazil)…. England’s kits for the first time were made by Nike at World Cup tournaments, and their all white home kit had a subtle pinstripe and a royal blue “tick” and badges, this was the only kit worn at the tournament.

For Russia 2018, England are returning to more traditional colours with navy blue shorts for the home and return of a red away kit with white shorts, red socks combination.

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Any favourites or thoughts on England’s World Cup kit history?

Kit Log – World Cup, Korea/Japan 2002

For the first time in the competition’s history the World Cup moved away from Europe and Americas and was held on Asian Continent, the 17th Tournament hosted by both South Korea and Japan, which also was another first with a jointly hosted competition.  Following from France 98, the format remained the same and gave us 32 teams competing in 8 groups of 4 teams, followed by knock out stage of the competition, totaling in 64 games.

In terms of the kits seen in the tournament, there was a real identity per manufacture, I do not want to use the word template as there were some subtle differences with the shirts that made them a little for unique than a standard template, in particular with those Nations that had Nike kits in 2002.

Looking at the manufacturers, again as in France 98 there was 12 manufacturers on show at the tournament, Adidas leading the way once more but there was an increase in the number of teams wearing the three stripes, with 10 from the 6 from four years earlier.  Nike had 8 representative and Puma 4, so the “Big 3” making up nearly 70% of the nations appearing.  There were some notable manufacturers in the rest of the kit suppliers, Kappa, Hummel, Le Coq Sportif, Joma, Umbro (who supplied England and Ireland) and Uhlsport.  There were some lesser known names in Marathon, L.Sporto and Athletica, supplying some of the Central and South American Nations.

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It was certainly a bright World Cup in terms of colours, Nike’s Nigeria and South Korea kits were reminiscent of highlighter pens, in particular the Nigerian Kit which in the first game was paired with white numbers and names, which proved not to be that visible to watching millions and was quickly replaced by black alternatives for the rest of the competition.

Almost all Nations had a splash of colour or detailing on their shirts, one notable exception to this was Italy, whose Kappa kit stood out as a classic Italian Shirt, a lighter shade of blue used, a balance in the first and second choice kits topped off with a more tighter cut than other kits used – certainly not a kit with those with kind of build that I have.

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Another kit to call out and look into a little more detail is Cameroon’s kit, here they (or Puma) looked to do something different and never seen before, to combat the heat and humidity they proposed a sleeveless kit and in fact used a sleeveless version of the kit they wore prior to the tournament, however FIFA did not allow this kit to be worn in the actual tournament and black sleeves were added to both the first and second choice shirts.  Cameroon would try to break kit boundaries two years later with an all in one kit.

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Eventual winners Brazil, wore their traditional yellow shirt with three different combinations of shorts and socks, the classic blue shorts and white socks against Chine and Turkey (twice, group and semi-final), white shorts and blue socks against Costa Rica and blue shorts and blue socks in the final against Germany, a rarely seen variation of the kit which will go down in history as it was the one worn to lift the trophy for a record 5th time.

Feel free to share your kit highlights from 2002 World Cup.

Kit Log – World Cup, France 1998

The 16th World Cup headed back to Europe and returned to France after they held the 1938 tournament.  This was an expanded competition from the previous three World Cups and was the first to follow the format that is now well established which meant an increase in qualifying teams from 24 to 32 teams, resulting in eight groups of four teams, with the top two teams moving on to the knock out stages, giving us a total of 64 games that were played between 10th June 1998 and 12th July 1998.

Looking at the kits, there was again a leap from USA 94 in terms of style and colours on show from each country.  Several countries added detail to their kits that had not been seen before on, Mexico, Japan, South Africa are all countries that spring to mind with added flashes of colour and detail.

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Looking at the manufacturers, there was greater mix of supplier in this competition with 12 different manufacturers taking to the field, leading the way were Adidas wore kitted out 6 teams, a huge reduction from Italia 90 where they supplied 15 out 24 teams and new comers to International football, Nike.

The US brand’s poster boys for the tournament where holders Brazil.  Kit manufacturers using football to promote their products was about to take off….. literally, remember the advert at the Airport, if you do you’ll have that song now in your head for rest of the day.

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Overall there was a real blend of template style kits, Adidas with Romania, Yugoslavia, Spain and Puma with Cameroon, Austria, Bulgaria and bespoke designs with Japan, Mexico, Denmark.

A special mention here has to go to Kappa for France 98, they supplied two teams, South Africa and Jamaica, the kits they produced where both unique and stood out from the rest, especially the Reggae Boys, a magnificent kit and one that I cannot do any justice with my simply illustrations.

Another “highlight” worth mentioning is something that Romania did, with most of the team bleaching their hair blonde, whether it was as part of a team unity exercise or as the late great Jimmy Hill surmised maybe would improve picking out a team-mate at quick glance (lets got with that, then it can be kit related, kinda).

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England returned to the traditional red away kit for the tournament, it only made one appearance against Colombia but after the controversial “Indigo” away kit of Euro 96 (which I still believe to be a classic England kit) was also the kit that saw one David Beckham score his first goal for England.  In the knock-out round against Argentina, England wore an all white kit, which was a rare sight for England in the 1990’s but one that will be remembered due to one of the goals of tournament being scored by Michael Owen.

Eventual winners France, returned to a classic style and one that has been repeated several times over the years since they won 1984 European Championships in their iconic design.  It is a classic design that is synonymous with the French team and one that I am sure we will see again in the future.

Any kit highlights from France 1998, let me know?