Top 10 Best Kits of the World Cup

We pick our personal favourites.

A lot has changes since the last World Cup 4 years back. VAR has split the footballing world, Arsene Wenger has finally left Arsenal and believe it or not, Marouane Fellaini is still a Manchester United player.

One major trend that followed has been the brands’ move into lifestyle and streetwear which has greatly inspired the swaggiliious (yes, we’re making it a word) designs you see on our kits and boots. We at BOOTHYPE will list the top 10 coolest kits we can look forward to in Russia.

10. Iceland

Ice, water, fire and geysers. The Iceland kit is greatly inspired by their tundra landscape and their love for binge-watching Game of Thrones. The Wildlings Vikings were the toast of Europe with their fervent fans we got chills when we were introduced to the Viking clap. Here’s to seeing more from the warriors from beyond the wall Iceland.

9. Senegal

Puma sponsors many of the African nations and it’s a shame some of them did not qualify as they usually come up with some excellent and eclectic designs on their kits. Carrying the Puma flag this year would be Senegal. The Lions of Teranga make a splash on the chest in a fantastic but subtle print. Can Sadio Mane take them past group favourites, Poland and Colombia? We hope so just to be able to see them don this kit a bit longer.

8. Germany Away

Adidas usually saves their better designs for their countrymen and this is no exception. Both the home and away kits were inspired by retro designs but the away one looks amazingly cool and pretty fashionable too. One of the rare kits that look great outside the pitch, donned with sleek jogger pants and Yeezys.

7. Belgium Home

Prep school chic meets the Red Devils. We like the contrast of the formal argyle school boy design set against the tattoos and rock star appeal of the golden generation of Belgium’s team. Let’s just hope the boys are ready to earn their honours and reach their full potential at the World Cup.

6. France Away

France is always decked out in the coolest gear but this year’s rendition may be among its best. Upon first view, it’s a clean white kit but look closer and you’ll see the the red and blue lines making this a much more sophisticated design than meets the eye.

5. Portugal Home

This list was created to pay tribute to kit designs that had that extra something and were not too plain in design. Somehow, we couldn’t look away from this despite it being very simple. The blood red shirt and the green accents make this a head turner. Side effects of donning the shirt also include gesticulating to your teammates when not receiving passes, showboating and occasional overhead kicks.

4. Japan Home

Instead of being inspired by a retro kit, the Japanese went further back in time and took on the spirit of the samurai warrior. Personally, we see a greater resemblance with the minimalist fashion borne out of Japan’s Muji. Fashionably sharp, criminally underrated and a thing of beauty. A must have for all sartorially savvy football fans.

3. Spain Home

Adidas pushed the boat out there to cram in as many retro designs into their kits as possible. The nicest one could possibly by Spain who will look to Iniesta to wind back to clock to win them their second World Cup.

2. Colombia Home

The Colombians were a standout success in Brazil 4 years ago and they’re looking to improve on their performances in Russia with an excellent kit. The yellow base against the blue and red accents on the sides with the lightning print might prove to be a major hit and and off the pitch.

Honourable mentions

Before we head to number 1, we’d like to highlight the excellent England training top which sold out within days. It would have been a worthy home kit as well. The Mexico top is also pretty refreshing as not many teams sport green kits these days. We’re liking the zig zag decal on its sides – similar to what Colombia has on their kit.

1. Nigeria

It could only be Nigeria. The Super Eagles’ home kit sold out in minutes with 3 million pre-orders even before launch day. The home kit has taken all the plaudits but we’re big fans of the elegant away kit too. Will Nigeria win the World Cup? Most likely not in a group that has Argentina, Croatia and Iceland but they have definitely been the sartorial champions in Russia.