2026 World Cup

England have moved the front numbers on their 2026 World Cup home kit to the center of the chest, aligning the match-worn shirts with the retail versions. When the Three Lions initially debuted their Nike 2026-27 home kit earlier this year, the front numbers were unexpectedly placed on the right chest below the Swoosh, causing confusion as promotional images had shown them centered. Now, for the World Cup opener, the home kit's front numbers have been repositioned to the middle, matching the design of the away kit and Nike's original product shots.

Borussia Dortmund and Germany defender Nico Schlotterbeck has a very specific habit regarding his matchday attire. The centre-back deliberately wears his football socks the wrong way round - the back is on the front, and the front is on the back.

In 2025, the Borussia Dortmund & Germany center back once told SPORT1 that this was one of his unique habits.

The second Group F match between Japan and Tunisia will mark the 1,000th match in FIFA World Cup history. FIFA has appointed Romanian referee István Kovács to officiate this historic milestone match, which will take place at Monterrey Stadium on June 20.

A special highlight of the occasion will be the referee's commemorative uniform: a bright red jersey featuring three gold stripes on the sleeves, along with a "MATCH 1000 FIFA WORLD CUP" badge.

The football culture platform @vsrsus has shared a collection of pennants featuring unique and highly artistic designs from several national teams participating in the 2026 World Cup.

The designs feature intricate graphics, bespoke typography, and vibrant color palettes tailored to different nations competing in the tournament. Each pennant is reimagined not just as a ceremonial token, but as a standalone piece of football art that captures the distinct identity and heritage of the respective countries.

The peasants celebrate the intersection of graphic design and the global game during the 2026 World Cup.

Match officials for the 2026 World Cup semi-finals will take to the pitch wearing a special edition red and gold Adidas referee kit. The design features a vibrant red base color contrasted by metallic gold Adidas Three Stripes on the sleeves and shoulders. Thanks to Jersey Story for the spot.

The same kit was first worn on the pitch by Romanian referee Istvan Kovacs for the 1000th FIFA World Cup match.

Our information suggests that Adidas could have prepared another exclusive uniform for the 2026 World Cup final. Speculation suggests the officiating team for the final could wear a predominantly white and gold referee kit, or alternatively, a sleek black and gold colorway to mark the climax of the tournament.

EXCLUSIVE LEAK: Adidas to Release Special "Gold" Referee Kits - 2026 World Cup Final?

Since its introduction in 2007 and first appearance on Italy's 2008 kits, the World Cup Champions Badge has always come in two versions: gold and white. This allows teams to match the badge contrast with their kit colors.

However, until now, every defending champion had only used one version of the badge at a World Cup. Italy used only the white badge in 2010, despite they have the gold version on away kit. While Spain (2014), Germany (2018), and France (2022) done the same with gold badge on every kits.

Argentina broke this by using both versions of the badge on their kits at the 2026 World Cup, becoming the first team to do so. Big thanks to @jerseystory_vn for spotting this detail.

According to the latest kit registrations, Spain will wear their original away kit combination - featuring their intended red shorts, for the very first time in their Semi-final match against France.

In their previous matches against Uruguay in the Group Stage and Portugal in the Round of 16, Spain wore all-white variation instead.

Nike has expanded the presence of its special-edition Mercurial Scorpion boots on the pitch for the final stages of the 2026 World Cup. Initially, the striking design was expected to be an exclusive colorway reserved solely for signature stars Kylian Mbappé and Vinicius Jr. during the knockout rounds. However, the boots have now been rolled out to several other high-profile players in the brand's roster as the tournament reaches its conclusion. Big thanks to bootsclub.

Taking inspiration from the iconic 2002 Scorpion campaign, the special colorway is available in both the Superfly 11 and Vapor 17 models. In recent matches, players such as Marcus Rashford, Mikel Oyarzabal, and Enzo Fernández have all been spotted wearing the Scorpion Mercurials. This wider rollout ensures the retro-inspired design gets maximum visibility on international football's biggest stage.

Next-Gen Nike Mercurial 2026 'Scorpion' Boots Revealed - Coming 9 July

Jun 30, 2026

Norway debuted a third variation of their home kit during the Quarter-final match against England. This marks their 5th different kit combination at the 2026 World Cup.

With this, Norway joins Colombia as teams with the second-most kit variations used in a single World Cup. France still holds the record, having used 6 different combinations during the 2018 World Cup. Big thanks to our partner @jerseystory_vn for spotting this and creating the graphic.

After being spotted printing their away nameset (featuring a black crest) on the home shirt during the Round of 16 match against Brazil, Norway corrected the mistake in their recent match against England, using in the correct home nameset (featuring original crest).

Huge thanks for @jerseystory_vn for the collage.

England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford has been spotted wearing the next-generation Puma Ultra football boots and matching goalkeeper gloves. The Everton shot-stopper debuted the unreleased Puma collection during the 2026 World Cup match between England and Mexico. Big thanks to @marcadegol.

Pickford's choice of footwear and gloves highlights Puma's latest advancements, specifically featuring the brand's NITRO technology. The upcoming Puma Ultra boots appear to have a modified upper design and soleplate tailored for lightweight performance and responsiveness. The corresponding goalkeeper gloves also incorporate this new tech, offering an early look into what Puma has planned for its future equipment line.

While Pickford is already playtesting the gear on the biggest international stage, Puma has yet to officially launch this new generation of the Ultra series to the public. Expect a full release in the coming weeks ahead of the 26-27 club season.

During Spain vs Belgium, the Spanish goalkeeper played in a modified pair of Reusch gloves, with the brand's signature "R" logo completely removed. This adjustment was made to meet strict FIFA rules. Big thanks to @jerseystory_vn for spotting this interesting detail.

According to section 18.4.1 of the FIFA Equipment Regulations, a manufacturer's logo on goalkeeper gloves must not exceed 20cm² and can only appear once. Because the full "Reusch" text logo was already printed on the index finger, the additional "R" logo on the back had to be removed.

However, likely due to a referee oversight, Simón still managed to play with his original, unmodified gloves - featuring both logos, during Spain's final group stage match against Uruguay.

Alongside Unai Simón, several other high-profile goalkeepers, including Álisson Becker and Gregor Kobel, are also wearing similar Reusch gloves at the 2026 World Cup.

Cristiano Ronaldo has gifted streamer and super-fan IShowSpeed an incredibly rare pair of football boots. The Portuguese legend presented Speed with the Nike Mercurial Superfly 11 Elite FG Gold Scorpion edition, adding another memorable moment to their well-documented interactions.

These boots hold significant historical value, as they were worn by Ronaldo during his final World Cup campaign. Nike created this spectacular gold design specifically for the forward to wear on the biggest international stage.

Originally, Ronaldo had planned to personally present this gift to Speed if Portugal had defeated Spain and advanced to the World Cup quarterfinals. However, after Portugal's early elimination, CR7 had to leave the special gift with a staff member, who was then asked to deliver it to Speed.

According to the staff member, Speed is one of only two people in the world to own a pair of boots that Ronaldo personally wore during the recent World Cup.

Match officials for the 2026 World Cup semi-finals will take to the pitch wearing a special edition red and gold Adidas referee kit. The design features a vibrant red base color contrasted by metallic gold Adidas Three Stripes on the sleeves and shoulders. Thanks to Jersey Story for the spot.

The same kit was first worn on the pitch by Romanian referee Istvan Kovacs for the 1000th FIFA World Cup match.

Our information suggests that Adidas could have prepared another exclusive uniform for the 2026 World Cup final. Speculation suggests the officiating team for the final could wear a predominantly white and gold referee kit, or alternatively, a sleek black and gold colorway to mark the climax of the tournament.

EXCLUSIVE LEAK: Adidas to Release Special "Gold" Referee Kits - 2026 World Cup Final?

Since its introduction in 2007 and first appearance on Italy's 2008 kits, the World Cup Champions Badge has always come in two versions: gold and white. This allows teams to match the badge contrast with their kit colors.

However, until now, every defending champion had only used one version of the badge at a World Cup. Italy used only the white badge in 2010, despite they have the gold version on away kit. While Spain (2014), Germany (2018), and France (2022) done the same with gold badge on every kits.

Argentina broke this by using both versions of the badge on their kits at the 2026 World Cup, becoming the first team to do so. Big thanks to @jerseystory_vn for spotting this detail.

According to the latest kit registrations, Spain will wear their original away kit combination - featuring their intended red shorts, for the very first time in their Semi-final match against France.

In their previous matches against Uruguay in the Group Stage and Portugal in the Round of 16, Spain wore all-white variation instead.

Norway debuted a third variation of their home kit during the Quarter-final match against England. This marks their 5th different kit combination at the 2026 World Cup.

With this, Norway joins Colombia as teams with the second-most kit variations used in a single World Cup. France still holds the record, having used 6 different combinations during the 2018 World Cup. Big thanks to our partner @jerseystory_vn for spotting this and creating the graphic.

After being spotted printing their away nameset (featuring a black crest) on the home shirt during the Round of 16 match against Brazil, Norway corrected the mistake in their recent match against England, using in the correct home nameset (featuring original crest).

Huge thanks for @jerseystory_vn for the collage.

On the back of the shirt collar, every England player has a specific number called "Legacy Number", which shows the historical order of when they made their debut for the national team. Big thanks to our partner @jerseystory_vn for this interested spotting.

Legacy Numbers first appeared on England match shirts on November 14, 2019, to celebrate the team's historic 1,000th international match against Montenegro.

The player with Legacy Number 1 is goalkeeper Robert Barker, who played in England’s very first official international match against Scotland on November 30, 1872. Meanwhile, the newest name on the list is Rio Ngumoha, who takes number 1,300.

At the 2026 World Cup, the squad member with the lowest legacy number is Jordan Henderson's 1,170.

Based on the official kit registrations for the 2026 World Cup Quarter-Finals, we can see some very interesting choices:

Despite being fully cleared to wear their home kit, France has decided to use their away kit against Morocco.

Norway will step out in a brand-new variation featuring blue shorts and blue socks with their home shirt against England. This means Norway has now used 3 out of 3 possible home kit combinations at the 2026 World Cup.

Argentina will stick with their lucky all-white variation for the match against Switzerland. According to stats from Vietnamese kit expert @jerseystory_vn, this specific combination holds a perfect 100% win rate for Argentina in every competition knockout stages since 2021.

Recent iterations of the World Cup winners patch have a noticeable decline in quality, as highlighted by our follower @AmosMurphy_. What was once a premium, beautifully textured addition to a national team shirt has now been reduced to a standard, flat heat-pressed decal.

The shift towards cheaper materials on major international kits stands in stark contrast to other areas of the football shirt market, where we see embossed details and multilayer 3D crest more often.

Colombia debuted a white shorts variation with their 2026 World Cup home kit during the recent Round of 16 match against Switzerland.

This is already their 5th kit combination at the 2026 World Cup. It makes them the team with the second-most kit variations at a single World Cup, just behind France who used 6 combinations in 2018. Huge thanks to @jerseystory_vn for the collage and infographic.

This variation brings back memories of James Rodríguez and Colombia at the 2014 and 2018 World Cup. Notably, 2014 marked the breakout tournament for James, where he won the World Cup Golden Boot.

The Norway Nike 2026 World Cup home kit features a red shirt, white shorts, and blue socks, matching the colors of the national flag. However, Norway had never used it prior to the Round of 16 match. In the two previous Group Stage matches against Iraq and France, Norway only wore an all-red variation. Huge thanks to @jerseystory_vn for the photo collage.

The recent match against Brazil marked the very first time Norway used their original kit combo at the 2026 World Cup.

It is likely that Norway will wear also this original home kit in the Quarter-final against England, as they will have the priority to choose their kit colors first.

Instead of being customized with separate variants like Brazil, France, or Norway, the England team used the dark away shorts, which are the main shorts of their away kit, as an alternate version for their home kit, while the original home kit features white shorts. Thanks to @jerseystory_vn for the spotting.

This was an intentional move by Nike. Since both of England 2026 World Cup kits share the exact same design and color accents, customizing a dedicated pair of dark shorts just for the home kit was deemed unnecessary.

Nike has expanded the presence of its special-edition Mercurial Scorpion boots on the pitch for the final stages of the 2026 World Cup. Initially, the striking design was expected to be an exclusive colorway reserved solely for signature stars Kylian Mbappé and Vinicius Jr. during the knockout rounds. However, the boots have now been rolled out to several other high-profile players in the brand's roster as the tournament reaches its conclusion. Big thanks to bootsclub.

Taking inspiration from the iconic 2002 Scorpion campaign, the special colorway is available in both the Superfly 11 and Vapor 17 models. In recent matches, players such as Marcus Rashford, Mikel Oyarzabal, and Enzo Fernández have all been spotted wearing the Scorpion Mercurials. This wider rollout ensures the retro-inspired design gets maximum visibility on international football's biggest stage.

Next-Gen Nike Mercurial 2026 'Scorpion' Boots Revealed - Coming 9 July

Jun 30, 2026

England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford has been spotted wearing the next-generation Puma Ultra football boots and matching goalkeeper gloves. The Everton shot-stopper debuted the unreleased Puma collection during the 2026 World Cup match between England and Mexico. Big thanks to @marcadegol.

Pickford's choice of footwear and gloves highlights Puma's latest advancements, specifically featuring the brand's NITRO technology. The upcoming Puma Ultra boots appear to have a modified upper design and soleplate tailored for lightweight performance and responsiveness. The corresponding goalkeeper gloves also incorporate this new tech, offering an early look into what Puma has planned for its future equipment line.

While Pickford is already playtesting the gear on the biggest international stage, Puma has yet to officially launch this new generation of the Ultra series to the public. Expect a full release in the coming weeks ahead of the 26-27 club season.

Cristiano Ronaldo has gifted streamer and super-fan IShowSpeed an incredibly rare pair of football boots. The Portuguese legend presented Speed with the Nike Mercurial Superfly 11 Elite FG Gold Scorpion edition, adding another memorable moment to their well-documented interactions.

These boots hold significant historical value, as they were worn by Ronaldo during his final World Cup campaign. Nike created this spectacular gold design specifically for the forward to wear on the biggest international stage.

Originally, Ronaldo had planned to personally present this gift to Speed if Portugal had defeated Spain and advanced to the World Cup quarterfinals. However, after Portugal's early elimination, CR7 had to leave the special gift with a staff member, who was then asked to deliver it to Speed.

According to the staff member, Speed is one of only two people in the world to own a pair of boots that Ronaldo personally wore during the recent World Cup.

Having concluded his quest for the 2026 FIFA World Cup trophy with Portugal, this also marks the final time we will see Cristiano Ronaldo grace football’s biggest stage. Ronaldo himself confirmed that the 2026 World Cup would be the last of his illustrious career.

His runs on the World Cup stage may have come to an end, but his legacy will endure forever. To honor that legacy, Nike Football shared an image carrying the message "His Legend Lives On", paying tribute to CR7's everlasting impact on the game.

French rising star Désiré Doué, has been frequently switching between the Nike Mercurial Vapor 17 and Superfly 11 boots over the past few weeks. Doué opted for the low-cut Nike Mercurial Vapor 17 for the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League final, but then surprised fans by starting the 2026 World Cup wearing the high-cut Superfly 11.

However, his stint with the Superfly 11 was short-lived, as Doué recently switched back to the Mercurial Vapor 17 for France's latest matches at the tournament. This indecision between the collared and non-collared versions of Nike's speed boot is notable for a player who is heavily featured in the brand's promotional campaigns. Doué has also been spotted wearing reissue Mercurial Vapor Superfly 1 boots recently, showcasing his affinity for the Mercurial heritage.

Jude Bellingham has been spotted wearing the Adidas Predator boots from the new Chaos vs Control pack. The Real Madrid midfielder debuted the colorway during a recent training session, providing a first on-pitch look at the design ahead of the 2026-27 season.Thanks to @marcadegol.

It was a dream debut for Bellingham, who scored a brilliant brace to lead England to a 2-0 victory over hosts Mexico, sending the Three Lions into the quarter-finals, where they will face Norway.

In an interesting development during the 2026 World Cup, several Colombia national team players could soon be spotted wearing classic football boots. Mexican boot seller @soccerstoremx recently visited the Colombian national team's training camp in Mexico to showcase and sell a selection of iconic vintage cleats directly to the squad.

The visit provided the Colombian players with the opportunity to browse and purchase rare and discontinued models from past eras. With the players getting their hands on these classic boots, it raises the possibility that some of them will lace up in vintage footwear during their upcoming 2026 World Cup fixtures.

While modern boot technology dominates international tournaments, the appeal of classic designs remains strong among professional players. It remains to be seen which specific boot models were purchased by the Colombian squad and if any will make an official on-pitch appearance in the coming days.

Following Kylian Mbappé's recent appearances in the new boots, Vinicius Junior has now also taken the Nike Mercurial Scorpion Pack to the pitch. While Mbappé opts for the Superfly 11 version, Vinicius Junior was spotted wearing the low-cut Vapor 17 model. These special edition boots are completely exclusive to the two superstars for the knockout stages of the 2026 World Cup. Big thanks to Bootsclub & @sdmlinks.

The design of the new Nike Mercurial Scorpion Pack is heavily inspired by Nike's iconic 2002 Scorpion campaign. The collection brings the classic aesthetic into the modern era, applying it to the latest generation of Nike's speed boots.

Fans looking to get their hands on the boots will not have to wait long. The Nike Mercurial Scorpion Pack, including both the Superfly 11 and Vapor 17 versions, is scheduled to drop on July 9, 2026.

Michael Olise has caught the attention of boot enthusiasts during the 2026 World Cup by sporting various custom pairs of the Nike Hypervenom III DF. The French international has been using the tournament to showcase his unique boot choices, matching different custom colorways to his team's kits with total freedom.

The Hypervenom III DF, originally released in 2017, holds a special place in Olise's footwear rotation. Nike appears to be fully supporting his preference for the discontinued silo, building a unique narrative around his obsession with the boots. This level of customization and dedication to an older model is a rare sight on the modern international stage.

As Olise continues to perform at the highest level, he is quickly establishing himself as a modern icon for the Hypervenom line. Boot communities, such as BootsCulture, have been closely tracking his footwear journey since day one, noting the distinct look and personalization he brings to the pitch.