World Cup 2022 kits ranked from worst to best – in pictures

But there’s also the possibility that this will be a disastrous World Cup. Few fans, soulless stadiums and disjointed teams could sap the spirit from the festival of football.

But at least we have the kits, right? The World Cup 2022 kits offer us a chance to rekindle our love of previous shirts, find new, diverse designs, and scoff at the most ridiculous attempts.

Below, we’ve ranked the World Cup kits from all 32 teams based on the combination of home and away kits. And it’s fair to say nations hosting Nike and Puma shirts have come out worst.

For more World Cup features check out: World Cup 2022 TV schedule | World Cup 2022 stadiums | Best players at the World Cup | Best teams at the World Cup

World Cup 2022 kits ranked

Before we look at the kits individually it’s worth remembering there are nine manufacturers who have produced kits for the 2022 World Cup. Among them, Nike have created the most with 13 and most kits follow the same template. The list of kit manufacturers is as follows:

Nike – 13 shirts
adidas – 7 shirts
Puma – 6 shirts
New Balance – 1 shirt
hummel – 1 shirt
Kappa – 1 shirt
marathon – 1 shirt
Le Coq Sportif – 1 shirt
Majid – 1 shirt

Here’s our ultimate review of the World Cup 2022 kits, ranked from worst to best.

32. Switzerland

Of all the Puma aberrations at this World Cup, Switzerland has fallen victim to the worst. The home shirt is almost acceptable if the brief was to design an identikit 1990s football strip for a retro computer game.

The away shirt is an eyesore. Seeming to take inspiration from Instagram's original borders – remember putting frames and filters on every picture you ever took? #Inspired – Puma have handed Switzerland a hospital pass of an away shirt.

31. Senegal

We really have to talk about Puma. Never shy of deploying a freak World Cup kit (who remembers Cameroon's sleeveless shirts?), Puma seem to think dressing footballers up as wannabe Teletubbies is what constitutes fashion these days.

Senegal's green away shirt is an aberration – as is Switzerland's, Serbia’s and Morocco’s. While Puma have just about succeeded with the rugby league style chevron on the white home shirt, this ridiculous away shirt – which acts as a template for other Puma teams – is simply an embarrassment for the sport.

30. England

You wait an extra six months for the World Cup and then this is what you're given as a home shirt. England fans are right to be furious about this – possibly the worst England home shirt in the history of the Three Lions. We thought we'd got rid of shoulder pads after the traumatic Euro 2016 fiasco, which made Jamie Vardy and co. look like wannabe NFL players.

There is not a single redeeming feature of this England home shirt. The blue fade on the shoulder looks like it's been done on Microsoft Paint. The shoulders themselves have been stuck on to a white bodice with no thought. The England badge is massive, the Nike tick lonely. It looks like the sort of knock-off shirt you could buy for £3.99 during Euro 2004.

As does the away kit. Yet is harks back to an en-vogue '90s style but a patterned collar and tiny V on the neck can't save what is another dull effort. How Nike could get this so wrong after their successful Euro 2022 England Women's kits is remarkable.

29. Netherlands

You might need to turn down the brightness on your TV when watching Netherlands in this home shirt this World Cup. has seen the shirt up close and it's an aberration. Glossed with the sort of sheen you'd be pleased to produce from your bathroom tiles, the Netherlands home shirt looks like the orange Quality Atreet – you can almost hear crinkle of the the plastic overlay just looking at it.

Nike have done better with the away shirt. A deep, rich blue is fairly steady work. But the collar is just as bad as England's.

28. Serbia

Oh, Serbia, what did your players do that they deserve to wear these shirts? Puma have gone for that traditional Serbian colour combo of red and… gold for the home shirt. The gold is too thick, the red too plain, the collar a miserable combination of both.

Serbia's away shirt is disastrous. It's another knock-off-esque T-shirt.

27. Australia

There's a very real possibility this home shirt could come to look and feel just like Nike's Netherlands aberration. At least the Aussie Green trim exists to distract from the lack of collar, massive logo and garish textual pattern.

At least the away shirt is OK, right? Well, no. It's even worse. Australia's blue World Cup shirt looks as lazy and uninspired as England and USA's white ones. It's another that you'd expect to find on sale for £7.99 in certain high street stores.

26. Germany

Come on adidas. How can you get black and white so wrong? Germany have had some of the best football shirts of all time – just see 1974, 1982 and 2016 for examples. Yet they also boast some of the worst in history – hello, again, 1984 and 2006.

The Germany 2022 World Cup home shirt falls into the latter category. A black runway strip done the middle, plus the central badge and adidas logo. It's to wide, too bulky, too stretched. The Germany away kit is OK but fairly forgettable. Still, this combo isn't as bad as England's.

25. Morocco

Puma's central panel on the Morocco away shirt is and always will be an embarrassment for world football. It looks like the kind of faint pattern frame you find around a shiny football sticker. Yuck.

The home shirt is fairly standard – almost too boring. Why Puma think it's acceptable to centralise their logo yet shunt the Morocco badge out to the side is beyond us. It's lopsided and lazy. Their fans deserve better.

24. Ghana

There's not much to say about Ghana's World Cup kits that hasn't already been said. It's another Puma disappointment – but perhaps even worse than the others, these shirts genuinely look as though Puma has bought in a job load of nylon T-shirts and printed templates on the front of each one.

The home shirt has a nice touch with the black star in its centre. And the sleeve trim is rather nice. And that probably elevates this towards the top of Puma’s 2022 offerings.

23. USA

Nike's collar nightmare strikes again on the USA World Cup home shirt. A freak smear of collarbone-grabbing blue, it looks more like an NFL jersey than a soccer shirt. But maybe that's what Nike was going for?

While the US home shirt is instantly forgettable, the away shirt at least offers some interesting design. Patterned blue, no collarbone and the USMNT badge slapped right in the middle. The US shirts both have a Pro Evo 'fake kit' feel about them, but the away version just about rescues the whole package.

22. Croatia

It's hard not to screw up red check on a white background, but Nike have flirted with it in this Croatia home shirt. There's a distinct early-2000s feel here, and the mismatch in check pattern on the shoulder panels is clumsy.

The away shirt is even worse. We've seen shirt designers play with faded colour for the past five years, and when it's done badly it looks cheap. That's what's happened here, which is a shame because colour-wise Croatia's away shirt could do well.

21. Cameroon

We’re still waiting for Cameroon’s design but based on a few leaked pictures Le Coq Sportif may just have scraped together something respectable here. Watch this space.

20. Qatar

The host nation of a World Cup needs a good shirt. France had it in 1998, Japan in 2002. Brazil's home shirt in 2014 was a delight. Sadly the jury is still out with regards to Qatar's World Cup shirts.

Their red shirt looks like a training top bar the white triangle trim on the sleeve cuff that is a call back to the national flag. The white shirt has a sand-coloured imprint and is the better of the two. But neither inspire the emotions one would hope to have from a World Cup host.

19. Brazil

Nike have gone for a light green trim on Brazil's traditional yellow home shirt, and it lacks the richness one expects from the five-time world champions. Saying that, the collar is a delight – we've only a few buttoned-up collars this tournament, so we need to protect this rare breed.

Unfortunately Nike's blue Brazil shirt is another you can throw straight into the swamp of disappointment. Neon jaguar print on the sleeves looks nice enough as an idea, but have simply been slapped onto an identikit blue bodice. It's like sticking a feather on a top hat and hoping that hides its blandness.

18. Portugal

It's hard not to feel a little queasy when you initially look at that Portugal home shirt. The diagonal slash of red and green through the gut may look good on Cristiano Ronaldo, but a 55-year-old beer belly isn't going to pull this look off.

Portugal's away shirt is much nicer. A cream base layer, with the Portuguese flag colours strapped across the chest. It could well be an iconic shirt in two decades time.

17. Iran

'Order 20 shirts for your entire junior team and get free printing and boot bags included! Comes in a range of template styles to suit any team.' This must be how Iran's football association ordered their tacky Majid shirts for this World Cup.

A fading green swirl across the chest, on either a white or red background. These kits might end up being retro. But they'll probably be consigned to the bin as soon as Iran exit the tournament.

16. Uruguay

The two faces of Puma are showcased in Uruguay's rollercoaster of emotions that is their World Cup kits. The Uruguay home shirt is a delight. A tight buttoned collar, simple sleeves and white trim, classic high crest. It's all very 1970s.

The away shirt could have been better designed on the Fantasy Premier League kit builder. The central design looks like a placeholder where you're meant to stick a shiny Panini sticker. Awful.

15. Denmark

Hummel have decided to blend out their branding and the Denmark badge, fading it into the background of their three kits using the same colour.

The Denmark kits themselves aren't great. Deep red for home, all white away, and a black third kit. Hummel claims it's inspired by the '92 shirts but Denmark have had far better kits than this since they were crowned European champions.

14. Tunisia

Remember the Kombucha Girl video from three years ago? This is how you'll react to the Tunisia World Cup 2022 shirts. Good at the start, then doubts begin to creep in, before finally settling on acceptance.

Kappa have messed around a little too much with the home Tunisia shirt. But the white away kit with constellation design is unique and eye-catching. By no means the best shirt, it's the sort that could end up on pub quiz picture rounds in years to come.

13. Spain

adidas' designers created Spain's home shirt for the 2022 World Cup by picking the 1998 kit off the floor and giving it a wipe down. This is classic Spain. Blood red, blue trim, gold embroidery. It's fine.

The away shirt, meanwhile, could swing either way in the eyes of football fans. The wavy blue is a surprisingly pleasant pattern. And it contrasts well with Spain's traditional red in its badge. We don't even mind the central placing of badge and brand logo – a design choice that can ruin the best of shirts. Generally, adidas have done well here.

12. Argentina

Like Brazil yellow, it's hard to screw up Argentina stripes. The light blue and white verticals in the home shirt scream classic Argentina. Black trim works well, and adidas have just about got away with that collar.

The away shirt is a little disappointing. We’re treated to violet flames lapping up to a blue top half. But the blanched AFA crest saves this shirt. It's good. Not the best, but pretty damn good.

11. Belgium

More flames? Oh go on then. As the Red Devils, it was inevitable Belgium would eventually have fire on their home shirt. And it comes in the form of flamed sleeves, which lick the armpits. Unfortunately the flames don't really complement the plain red bodice and classic crest. Lose the fire and Belgium could have the best home shirt at the World Cup.

However, they do boast one of the best away shirts. The multi-colour trim, badge and adidas logo are perfect design features for a barrier-pushing, alternative away shirt. It is genuinely lovely.

10. Costa Rica

Guess what? Costa Rica's home shirt is red, the away shirt is white. Nothing new here, and New Balance have done well to keep things simple. There's a worry they've kept things a little too simple actually – contrary to popular style there isn't even a fabric print to boast of.

But Costa Rica's shirts, with their tight sleeve trims, are the ideal accessory for gym buffs. Big chested, strong armed, tight fitted. If you can wear it, do.

9. Saudi Arabia

A surprise contender as one of the better World Cup 2022 kits is Nike's effort with Saudi Arabia. There's an actual collar – in Saudi green – and no pointless collarbone distraction. The white home shirt has a '90s inspired textual print while actually looks quite good.

Meanwhile the away shirt could, potentially, become a classic. If Saudi have a big moment in this shirt – say, they score against Argentina – then it could become an iconic image from the World Cup. This is a rare success for Nike at this tournament.

8. Mexico

Hello Mexico! We were hoping for something a little whacky from the Mexicans and they have delivered. Mexico is blessed with a classic deep green that usually looks good as a home shirt, and the red trim and mountainous imprint really works on this adidas number.

But all attention falls on the away shirt. A traditional pattern across the shirt, the Aztec/Mayan eagle with a football (not a snake) in its claws, bursting out of the confines of the badge. It's delightful, it's truly Mexican, and it's an instant classic.

7. Poland

Nike have again messed with the shoulder pads in an effort to bring some sort of design feature to an otherwise boring white shirt. But while England's home shirt is an eyesore, at least Poland's shoulders blend somewhat into the bodice.

All attention, though, should be on the red Poland shirt for this 2022 World Cup. The double trim, bold red and iconic eagle logo all stand out. It's a gorgeously simple kit that harks back to 2009 when Nike took over the manufacturing rights.

6. France

France have succeeded in avoiding a desperate repeat of their true blue home shirt they wore at the 1998 World Cup – an iconic kit that should never be sought to replicate. Thankfully Nike have decided to maintain the dark blue presented at the 2018 World Cup and during Euro 2020.

The white away shirt with blue pattern imprint is pretty stylish too. As reigning world champions, France needed a world-beating shirt combo. And they've got it.

5. Canada

Nike have decided to go minimal with the Canada World Cup shirt – and it works. Whereas England and Netherlands have to endure experimental garbage, for Canadians this is a jersey range they can be proud of.

And it's exactly the right style a nation needs when playing its first World Cup since 1986. Plain, simple and stylish. It will stand the test of time. Both the red and white kits are practically leisurewear.

4. South Korea

South Korea's glorious red shirt from the 2002 World Cup remains a classic largely because they succeeded in it. Nike have tried to do something similar with their 2022 edition but it's fairly bland. What saves this shirt is an eye-catching logo that looks like it belongs in the Classic Football Shirts shop.

While the home shirt flirts with being a classic, South Korea's away top is an instant hit. Getting wild pattern right is tricky but Nike have nailed it here. This could be a retro '90s kit, or a modern classic. Coupled with the badge, we've found one of the best World Cup shirts right here.

3. Wales

You know what? adidas have absolutely nailed it. Wales have one of the best World Cup home and away kits, and if they progress out of the group stage these could become instant classics. The red home shirt has a diagonal streak pattern that is subtle and draws the eye. The crest on both the home and away shirts screams classic Wales.

A little bit of interesting trim on the away collar and the classic adidas stripes don't interfere too much with an otherwise sleek shirt. Even the adidas logo looks good. Wales can be proud of this one.

2. Ecuador

Marathon have made Ecuador's shirts for years and usually nail the all-yellow home kit. They've done so again here, with a delightfully smooth shirt, underarm trim and classic national crest. You just know Enner Valencia will look a million dollars in it.

Both the blue and white alternative shirts look good too. We're particularly fond of the traditional print on the blue offering, and simple collar design. Ecuador may not go far at this World Cup but their shirts will last long in the memory.

1. Japan

*Insert pinch emoji here* adidas have already won this World Cup. Japan's home and away shirts are sensational. The home version boasts an origami pattern across the bodice in subtle white on a blue background, complete with neat circular collar and a classic crest.

The away shirt pulls aspects of that home version and keeps it on the shoulders. It's a nice reference that links both shirts, providing unity but also difference. This is what the likes of England and Australia severely lack. These are two beautiful shirts on their own, and together.

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Joe Short