Mexico’s away-kit rage, jaguar patterns on Brazil’s shirts, Denmark making a statement and Netherlands’s pale orange: a look at World Cup jerseys

A national team jersey often encapsulates a country’s culture and tradition. The colours are a national symbol, which become closely associated with the team’s identity – the Canary yellow is instantly identifiable with Brazil, Mexico’s Green is an instant hit always and Netherlands’s flaming orange is often a style statement.
The traiditional kits habe reappeared at the World Cup in Qatar as well, albeit with slight variations.
While England were dressed in their traditional all white garb against Iran and France donned their usual navy-blue kit, with a second star over their crest, signifying their triumph four years ago, some teams have made tweaks to their usual colours.
The USA, who were supposed to wear a jersey with rainbow striped chest, had to swap these plans for a more neutral kit while Belgium were told that they could not wear match shirts with “Love” written on their collars.
Netherlands: Pale Orange

Enjoying the #WorldCup so far? 🤩🏆#NothingLikeOranje pic.twitter.com/N5PyVYx3aK
— OnsOranje (@OnsOranje) November 23, 2022
On Monday, Netherlands took the field against Senegal and it was apparent in an instant that their orange wasn’t orange enough. The Netherlands team have always worn orange colours which represent their royal family, the House of Orange-Nassau, often considered to be their national colour. The peachier, more subdued ones which were introduced against Senegal were a notable break from the hundreds of years’ worth of tradition.
Denmark: Making a statement

✅ Lindstrøm, Cornelius and Jensen comes on.#ForDanmark #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/AHpua72gFT
— Danish Football (@DanishFooty365) November 22, 2022
Speaking about subdued colours, the Denmark team’s jersey makers Hummel released the Danes’ apparels with minimalic approach. All the three jerseys, namely the home, away and training, have a toned-down aesthetic in order to reduce the visibility of the shirt. This was done to protest giving the hosting rights to Qatar.
“At Hummel, we believe that sport should bring people together. And when it doesn’t, we are eager to speak up and make a statement. That’s also why the new Denmark jerseys for the upcoming World Cup have been designed as a protest against Qatar and its human rights record,” Hummel had stated.
“We’ve toned down all the details – including our own Hummel logo and chevrons – because even though we love football and the feeling of togetherness it gives us, we don’t wish to be visible during a tournament that has cost thousands of people their lives,” the brand added.
Brazil: Traditional yellow with onca-pintada patterns

Sonhar, almejar e colocar seu objetivo como prioridade não é menosprezo ao seus rivais e sim uma meta pra você ir em busca.Amanhã começa 🔥Vamo que vamo 🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/ekY2m4U5c9
— Neymar Jr (@neymarjr) November 23, 2022
When it comes to Brazil, the sight of the iconic canary coloured jersey is all that it takes for football fans to get into the groove. This year, however, there are subtle changes on the apparel. The five-time World champions will wear yellow jerseys which will be knit with onca-pintada patterns. For the uninitiated, the onca-pintada means jaguar which is the national symbol of spirit and grit and reflects the Brazilian team’s style of play, according to kit makers Nike.
Mexico: Away colour a rage

⚽️ safe. 👐🏼#MéxicoDeMiVida | #NoMemoNoParty pic.twitter.com/yj8iz06o8j
— Mexican National Team (@miseleccionmxEN) November 24, 2022
Mexico has always had their apparels be one of the most eye-catching ones. This time, their green home shirt featured the feathered headdress of the Aztec deity Quetzalcoatl and also features Miztec art which “summons the fighting spirit of the nation,” according to kit makers Adidas.
Their away kit, however, became such a rage that the makers were forced to stop its sale outside Mexico to meet domestic demand, according to La Prensa.
South Korea: The Devil is in the details

오늘밤 10시
대한민국의 카타르 월드컵이 시작됩니다.국민 여러분 함께 달려주세요.#대한민국 #축구국가대표팀 더 뜨겁게, the Reds🔥 pic.twitter.com/YPKCVDXc6p
— theKFA (@theKFA) November 24, 2022
The South Korea or the Red Devils’ home jersey has the pattern of the Dokkaebi, which are legendary creatures found in Korean mythology, also termed as Korean Goblins while the away kit is also steeped in their culture with the apparel highlighting the Taegeuk symbol, which means “supreme ultimate” and is found on their flag.
Japan: Legends come to life

🔹#SAMURAIBLUE
📸🔥🔥#遠藤航#三笘薫 #伊藤洋輝#南野拓実#板倉滉#jfa #daihyo #サッカー日本代表#つな超え #新しい景色を2022#ワールドカップ #worldcup #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/aG6nYc8jWj
— サッカー日本代表 🇯🇵 【11.17(木)】vs 🇨🇦【11.23(水)】vs 🇩🇪 (@jfa_samuraiblue) November 24, 2022
From one Asian nation to another with Japan’s home jersey drawing inspiration from Yatagarasu, the legendary three-legged crow which is in their federation’s crest while away jersey is inspired origami, the Japanese art of paper folding.
Ecuador and Argentina: The best of the rest

🔥 ¡En el centro del Mundo, en los ojos de todos! 🔥#FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/MOwJ8xAsZ4
— La Tri 🇪🇨 (@LaTri) November 20, 2022
The Ecuador away shirts have an Inca inspired geometric pattern while the purple Argentina third kit represents gender equality, Adidas said. Argentina’s blue and white stripes have always been a hit, and it’s no different this time round as well.