ФИФА-гийн өнгөний зохицуулалтын улмаас зарим шигшээ баг тэмцээний туршид шинэ өмсгөлөө өмсөж амжилгүй тэмцээнээ өндөрлүүлсэн нь хөгжөөн дэмжигчдийн сэтгэлийг гонсойлгож байна.
2026 оны ДАШТ-ий үеэр ФИФА-гаас тоглолтын үеэр өмсгөлүүдийн өнгө хоорондоо давхцахгүй байх хатуу шаардлага тавьдаг бөгөөд “талбайн эзэн” багт давуу эрх олгодог. Үүнээс шалтгаалан Кюрасао, Өмнөд Африк, Зааны ясан эрэг, БНА Конго зэрэг багууд өөрсдийн нэрийн хуудас болсон үзэсгэлэнтэй зочин багийн өмсгөлүүдээ огт өмсөлгүйгээр тэмцээнийг орхисон юм. Хаити улсын хувьд ФИФА-гийн улс төрийн шинжтэй дүрслэлийг хориглосон шийдвэрээс үүдэн өмсгөлийн анхны загвар нь өөрчлөгдөхөд хүрсэн байна.
Тэмцээнд оролцож чадаагүй Коста-Рика, Чили, Ямайка, Хойд Ирланд болон Итали улсуудын шинэ өмсгөлүүд ч мөн адил олны хүртээл болох боломжоо алдсан юм. Ялангуяа Ямайкийн Боб Марлиг хүндэтгэсэн загвар болон Чилийн Атакама цөлийн цэцгүүдээс сэдэвлэсэн өмсгөлүүд нь дизайны хувьд өндөр үнэлгээ авсан ч ногоон талбайд харагдсангүй. Эдгээр багуудын ихэнх загварыг Адидас компани бүтээсэн нь тус брэндийн хувьд томоохон харамсал боллоо.
Дэлгэрэнгүй эх сурвалжийг харах
Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
So much has happened in the 2026 World Cup that you’d be forgiven for not realizing a number of teams have now gone home before they could even wear each kit they brought to the tournament.
How does this happen? FIFA oversees which kit each team wears in each match in order to avoid overlapping colors that make opposing teams look too similar on the pitch together, with priority given to whichever team is designated the “home” team for the match. That can result in a team wearing the same kit several matches in a row and then being eliminated before they get a chance to switch it up.
In some cases, this is nothing to lose sleep over, but in others it’s nothing short of a sartorial travesty. So in an effort to make up for the injustice of some of the best kits made for the tournament never being seen on a World Cup pitch, here are five that didn’t get the spotlight they deserve before their team was eliminated.
1. Curaçao away
Curaçao’s popular away kit was on display in the team’s pre-World Cup friendly against Scotland. (WM Sport Media/Getty Images)
We warned this was likely to happen before the tournament began and, sadly, it came true. Curaçao’s lovely away kit was not worn in any of their three group matches at the World Cup, yet it still sold out before the opening ceremony. The Athletic’s Nick Miller ranked this as the No. 1 away kit in the whole tournament with its pastel yellow and vibrant stripes inspired by the colors of the buildings in capital city Willemstad, making it particularly disappointing that it didn’t appear. Curaçao did wear it in a pre-tournament friendly against Scotland, so it wasn’t completely wasted, but that’s just not the same, is it?
South Africa midfielder Yaya Sithole in the team’s away kit during a pre-tournament friendly against Panama. (GIANLUIGI GUERCIA / AFP via Getty Images)
This is another wonderful effort from Adidas that went unused because South Africa never changed out of their yellow home shirt for their four World Cup matches. This one has a bit of a ’90s vibe with the collar and subtle design work within the vertical stripes on the dark green shirt. An excellent top that really deserved a run out.
Ivory Coast’s World Cup away shirt. (Photo courtesy of Puma)
Like Curaçao away, Puma’s Ivory Coast away shirt also sold out despite not being worn at the tournament. The soft-washed green and orange design elements make it a perfect look for a summer World Cup while still being identifiably representing The Elephants.
Defender Chancel Mbemba models DR Congo’s away kit. (Photo courtesy of Umbro)
DR Congo brought three kits to the World Cup and used their red and yellow third look before their away, leaving Umbro’s white and light blue design as the odd kit out in the team’s four matches. The geometric pattern at the bottom of the shirt (that also runs down the sides of the shorts) fading into a solid white top of the shirt is a unique twist on the standard white kit befitting the game’s top stage. Alas, it didn’t quite make it.
Haiti’s Ruben Providence shows off Haiti’s original kit design in a pre-tournament friendly against New Zealand. (CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP via Getty Images)
Unlike the other on this list, the reason we didn’t see Haiti’s original World Cup kit designs wasn’t because of color clashes or the team’s early exit — it was because of a late decision from FIFA. Shortly before the tournament began, FIFA decided that the scene depicted on the bottom right side of the shirts for each of Haiti’s kits — a group of men raising a blue and red flag at the Battle of Vertiéres shortly before Haitian independence was declared — was too political and had to be removed. Haiti’s kitmaker, Saeta, was able to produce new versions of the team’s kits without the imagery and the result just wasn’t the same.
The original versions of Haiti’s home and away shirts can still be purchased, however.
And what about teams that didn’t qualify for the tournament? There were some gems that category that deserve to be seen too.
Costa Rica’s 2026 away shirt. (Photo courtesy of Adidas)
Los Ticos missed out on the World Cup for the first time since 2010, and what cruel timing it was given the away kit they had lined up for this one. The bold, tropical vibe would have been a welcomed addition to the designs on display at this World Cup.
2. Chile away
Chile’s 2026 away shirt. (Photo courtesy of Adidas)
Representing the wild flowers of the Atacama Desert, Chile’s away kit is another super-distinctive look that would have been great to see at the tournament. This effort was particularly futile, however, since Chile finished bottom of the CONMEBOL qualifying table and has now missed three consecutive World Cups.
3. Jamaica away
Jamaica’s 2026 away shirt. (Photo courtesy of Adidas)
Jamaica just missed out on qualifying for the World Cup, losing to DR Congo in extra time of their playoff final, denying the tournament the Reggae Boyz’ Bob Marley tribute kits. The away design features soundwave patterns and vinyl record graphics for the Jamaican music legend. You can almost hear “Buffalo Soldier” just by looking at it.
Northern Ireland’s 2026 away shirt. (Photo courtesy of Adidas)
This shirt is almost too nice, even for the World Cup. You could wear it to a wedding and you wouldn’t look out of place.
5. Italy away
Italy’s 2026 away shirt. (Photo courtesy of Adidas)
This one may look like a plain white shirt from a distance but if you look closely you’ll see a subtle pattern throughout that’s really lovely.
And yes, all five in the best among non-qualifiers category were made by Adidas. When the 2026 World Cup participants were finalized, Adidas’ designers must have been in tears.
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