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Monday 11 June 2018

World Cup Kits - RATED: From England's Classic Design To Nigeria's Maverick Style, Verdict On Every Home And Away Kit - UK dailymail

World Cup 2018 kits: Verdict on EVERY strip
Whether you storm to glory or go out before even playing three games, a World Cup strip can sometimes be the most memorable aspect of a team's tournament. So you can be sure that among the 32 teams that have all released two new kits, there are going to be dashes of brilliance and those of the more forgettable nature.


ARGENTINA

Adidas have arguably the easiest job in football with the Argentina home kit. Blue and white stripes and its good to go. On closer inspection the stripes have a pixelated look to them which surprisingly works well. The away strip borrows another 1990s template and brings what could have been a bland black kit to life. 
HOME KIT VERDICT: 7/10 
AWAY KIT VERDICT: 7/10 
Lionel Messi and Manuel Lanzini wear Argentina's strips to be used in Russia this summer
Lionel Messi and Manuel Lanzini wear Argentina's strips to be used in Russia this summer
Lionel Messi and Manuel Lanzini wear Argentina's strips to be used in Russia this summer

AUSTRALIA

Have to admire the folks down under for trying to avoid just releasing a plain gold shirt, but getting a five-year-old to scribble on the sleeves was not the answer. The away kit colours were just about passable but there is no mercy for not committing fully to the sash.
HOME KIT VERDICT: 6/10 
AWAY KIT VERDICT: 5/10 
Australia have opted for bold designs on their home and away World Cup strips
Australia have opted for bold designs on their home and away World Cup strips
Australia have opted for bold designs on their home and away World Cup strips
 

BELGIUM

Even if Belgium were total rubbish at Euro 84, their home strip which is based off their number from that tournament makes it one of the better retro kits on offer this summer. The yellow away strip doesn't quite hit the same notes but there are worse on offer across the World Cup.
HOME KIT VERDICT: 8/10 
AWAY KIT VERDICT: 7/10 
Jan Vertonghen and Romelu Lukaku show off the Belgium World Cup kits
Jan Vertonghen and Romelu Lukaku show off the Belgium World Cup kits
Jan Vertonghen and Romelu Lukaku show off the Belgium World Cup kits
 

BRAZIL

Brazil's World Cup party was going well in 2014 but by advertising it on Facebook they were powerless to stop a load of German footballers gatecrashing and wrecking the place to leave all the locals in tears. They have been in hiding ever since, and their home kit four years later reflects on that with a rather boring strip. The good news is Brazil have probably never had a better away kit - buy this instead. 
HOME KIT VERDICT: 7/10 
AWAY KIT VERDICT: 9/10 
Neymar shows off the Brazil home strip but it is the away shirt that has attracted attention
Neymar shows off the Brazil home strip but it is the away shirt that has attracted attention
Neymar shows off the Brazil home strip but it is the away shirt that has attracted attention
 

COLOMBIA

Colombia were one of the most entertaining teams at the last World Cup kit and at the very least they will look one of the best in Russia. The 1990 throwback for the home strip is well executed, while the blue strip with orange trim will at least mean a Holland away kit will be at the tournament in spirit. 
HOME KIT VERDICT: 8/10
AWAY KIT VERDICT: 8/10 
Colombia's home kit is a retro take on a 1990 number while their away kit is a striking design
Colombia's home kit is a retro take on a 1990 number while their away kit is a striking design
Colombia's home kit is a retro take on a 1990 number while their away kit is a striking design
 

COSTA RICA

One of the surprise packages from Brazil 2014 promise no thrills in Russia judging by their strips on offer. The red home kit is a tidy offering from New Balance with wavy lines stitched in but the white away version just looks like an afterthought. 
HOME KIT VERDICT: 7/10 
AWAY KIT VERDICT: 5/10 
Costa Rica will have their Russia 2018 World Cup kits supplied by New Balance
Costa Rica will have their Russia 2018 World Cup kits supplied by New Balance
Costa Rica will have their Russia 2018 World Cup kits supplied by New Balance
 

CROATIA

One of the early disappointments ahead of the World Cup has been Croatia's World Cup kits. As admirable as it is to try and give the checks a facelift by making them bigger, Nike fall on their sword by not including them anywhere on the back. On this occasion it just looks...odd. The away strip is slightly more attractive but needs more traditional royal blue. 
HOME KIT VERDICT: 6/10 
AWAY KIT VERDICT: 7/10 
Luka Modric models Croatia's new home kit while Josip Pivaric wears the away kit
Luka Modric models Croatia's new home kit while Josip Pivaric wears the away kit
Luka Modric models Croatia's new home kit while Josip Pivaric wears the away kit
 

DENMARK

Look, if it was up to us we would have Denmark playing in that 1986 strip for eternity. Hummel may still be the brand supplying the great Danes, and that's worthy of points on its own. However, their safe approach to both Denmark kits is a little disappointing. 
HOME KIT VERDICT: 7/10
AWAY KIT VERDICT: 7/10
Hummel will once again supply the Denmark strips for the World Cup finals
Hummel will once again supply the Denmark strips for the World Cup finals
Hummel will once again supply the Denmark strips for the World Cup finals
 

EGYPT

You wait 28 years to appear in a World Cup and this is the best adidas can offer you for strips? In 1990s Umbro style, Team Salah could at least have stitched in the Liverpool forward's face wearing a pharaoh's hat in the design of the away kit. 
HOME KIT VERDICT: 5/10 
AWAY KIT VERDICT: 5/10 
Egypt will play in a conservative red home strip and white away kit while in Russia
 

ENGLAND

After the abomination of England's Euro 2016 strip, anything was going to be an improvement this time around and a long awaited return to white shirts and navy shorts ticks those boxes. The star though is the magnificent red away kit which features a stitched in St George's cross. Hopefully improvements will now follow on the pitch.
HOME KIT VERDICT: 7/10
AWAY KIT VERDICT: 8/10 
England will return to white shirts and navy shorts with their home kit for the World Cup
England will return to white shirts and navy shorts with their home kit for the World Cup and feature a red away kit
England will return to white shirts and navy shorts with their home kit for the World Cup
 

FRANCE

Quite a lot to admire about the France team, who not only have a squad bursting to the seams with talent but also have a couple of tasty strips worthy of a starring cast. The mixed blue home kit trickles into a tri-colore as it works down to the socks while the white away strip is complimented with light dashes of colour that worked well on England's Euro 2012 kit.
HOME KIT VERDICT: 9/10 
AWAY KIT VERDICT: 8/10 
Kylian Mbappe and Paul Pogba show off the stylish France home  and away kits
Kylian Mbappe and Paul Pogba show off the stylish France home  and away kits
Kylian Mbappe and Paul Pogba show off the stylish France home  and away kits
 

GERMANY

Unpopular opinion time. The retro look from 1990...sorry, it does not work in this case on the home shirt. The seemingly random pattern on the front of the strip was a reference to Germany's World Cup timeline and reversing it simply does not have the same effect. Still looks good though but the away strip stands out more.
HOME KIT VERDICT: 7/10 
AWAY KIT VERDICT: 8/10 
Mesut Ozil and Jerome Boateng show off Germany's World Cup kits for the summer
Mesut Ozil and Jerome Boateng show off Germany's World Cup kits for the summer
Mesut Ozil and Jerome Boateng show off Germany's World Cup kits for the summer
 

ICELAND

Nice try from Errea but if you are going to launch a full colour war on a kit you cannot just stop on the sleeves then go bland on the rest. Iceland's blue home shirt slightly gets away with, but the away white strip doesn't share the same fate. 
HOME KIT VERDICT: 6/10
AWAY KIT VERDICT: 4/10 
Errea have produced striking designs for Iceland's World Cup kits to be used this summer
Errea have produced striking designs for Iceland's World Cup kits to be used this summer
Errea have produced striking designs for Iceland's World Cup kits to be used this summer
 

IRAN

Adidas clearly couldn't be bothered to put a thought of effort into Iran's home kit by giving it a standard template and little else. But at least some life is breathed into the away shirt which features subtle red hoops. Sadly it will probably not be worn in a group where three other teams have a red based home kit.
HOME KIT VERDICT: 6/10 
AWAY KIT VERDICT: 7/10 
Iran will play in a largely all-white home strip and a red away kit in Russia
Iran will play in a largely all-white home strip and a red away kit in Russia
Iran will play in a largely all-white home strip and a red away kit in Russia
 

JAPAN 

It takes a special team to turn up to the World Cup wearing pajamas, and this year Japan are that side. All jokes aside though, this is actually an excellent home kit from the Far East outfit and certainly makes up for the rather dull away strip.
HOME KIT VERDICT: 9/10 
AWAY KIT VERDICT: 5/10 
Japan's home strip features a more striking design compared to their away number
Japan's home strip features a more striking design compared to their away number
Japan's home strip features a more striking design compared to their away number
 

MEXICO

Sympathy for Mexico, especially when they will probably never produce a home kit as good as their World Cup '98 number. This is good enough though and although the away strip is...different, it's not all-white and that's good enough for us. 
HOME KIT VERDICT: 7/10 
AWAY KIT VERDICT: 7/10 
Mexico's home and away kits feature stylish touches ahead of the World Cup in Russia
Mexico's home and away kits feature stylish touches ahead of the World Cup in Russia
Mexico's home and away kits feature stylish touches ahead of the World Cup in Russia
 

MOROCCO

When you have Spain and Portugal to play, you might want to make your World Cup exciting with a couple of memorable strips before a likely group stage exit. Morocco's kits were delayed due to worries over counterfeits and you can see why. Buy a simple adidas shirt stick a Morocco badge on it and you are good to go. The away kit is not much better.
HOME KIT VERDICT: 6/10 
AWAY KIT VERDICT: 6/10 
Morocco's home and away kits were both delayed before their eventual release in April
Morocco's home and away kits were both delayed before their eventual release in April
Morocco's home and away kits were both delayed before their eventual release in April
 

NIGERIA

Teams with lots of history and tradition with regards to their home strip would not get away with what Nike have given Nigeria. But the Super Eagles have a blank canvas as long as green and white feature and what's followed is a World Cup kit to truly remember. Not for everyone's taste but it is a fun strip which is more than can be said for the the poor and bland away kit that I feel sorry for. 
HOME KIT VERDICT: 9/10 
AWAY KIT VERDICT: 6/10 
Nigeria's striking home kit has been a pre-tournament talking point among supporters
But the bland green away kit is likely to be forgotten
Nigeria's striking home kit has been a pre-tournament talking point among supporters
Fans queue for Nigeria World Cup kit outside Oxford Street Nike
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PANAMA

All things being right with the world we can only hope that it is Panama who will wear their away strip when they face Belgium in June. Because it will be a travesty if the away kit, that has audacity to include two chevrons, doesn't get to see the light in Russia of day but the rather forgettable home kit does.
HOME KIT VERDICT: 5/10 
AWAY KIT VERDICT: 8/10 
Panama's stylish away kit makes up for an otherwise bland home design from New Balance
Panama's stylish away kit makes up for an otherwise bland home design from New Balance
Panama's stylish away kit makes up for an otherwise bland home design from New Balance
 

PERU

Brave move from Umbro. Designing a strip for the Kings of the sash was a free pass for not being too inventive. Yet, they gave it a shot anyway by lining it with gold trim. It just about works yet you can't help but feel the away kit is better - and it should not have happened like that. 
HOME KIT VERDICT: 8/10 
AWAY KIT VERDICT: 9/10 
Both of Peru's World Cup shirts feature their iconic sash with the addition of gold trim
Both of Peru's World Cup shirts feature their iconic sash with the addition of gold trim
Both of Peru's World Cup shirts feature their iconic sash with the addition of gold trim
 

POLAND

Certainly no thrills from Poland whose strips for Russia offer nothing to remember them by. Sure, there is a strange diagonal line going down both kits, and this makes them better than some of the other bland kits on offer. Still, though there is better to look at out there. 
HOME KIT VERDICT: 6/10 
AWAY KIT VERDICT: 6/10 
Poland's World Cup strips feature a diagonal line going down the front of the shirt
Poland's World Cup strips feature a diagonal line going down the front of the shirt
Poland's World Cup strips feature a diagonal line going down the front of the shirt
 

PORTUGAL

They may be European champions but when was the last time Portugal actually produced some memorable kits? Well you can add Russia 2018 to the ones to forget pile, although a bonus point is added to the away strip for the only World Cup shirt to feature an algae breakout.
HOME KIT VERDICT: 6/10 
AWAY KIT VERDICT: 6/10 
Cristiano Ronaldo models the Portugal home kit while Joao Moutinho wears the away strip
Cristiano Ronaldo models the Portugal home kit while Joao Moutinho wears the away strip
Cristiano Ronaldo models the Portugal home kit while Joao Moutinho wears the away strip
 

RUSSIA

Long gone are the likes of Roman Pavlyuchenko and Andrei Arshavin so someone is going to have to step up to shine in the rather bland home kit. Alan Dzagoev was good at Euro 2012 wasn't he? Still, the away strip at least looks stylish. 
HOME KIT VERDICT: 6/10 
AWAY KIT VERDICT 7/10 
Russia have reverted to a lighter red for the World Cup with a patterned white away strip
Russia have reverted to a lighter red for the World Cup with a patterned white away strip
Russia have reverted to a lighter red for the World Cup with a patterned white away strip
 

SAUDI ARABIA

Clearly Nike have been spinning too many plates in terms of designing kits for this World Cup. Saudi Arabia's kit was probably thought up in less than two minutes. "Just make an all-white home strip and an all-green away version - oh, and make sure we can see that swoosh stand out on the socks. Next."
HOME KIT VERDICT: 4/10 
AWAY KIT VERDICT: 3/10 
Saudi Arabia will play in simple white home and green away strips in Russia
Saudi Arabia will play in simple white home and green away strips in Russia
Saudi Arabia will play in simple white home and green away strips in Russia
 

SENEGAL

Reverse home and away kits tend to mean bland designs but Senegal slightly rescue that notion with the motif on the the front of their kit -which stands out better on their away green away number. Not the best on offer but far from the worse.
HOME KIT VERDICT: 6/10 
AWAY KIT VERDICT: 7/10 
Senegal's home and away shirts are variations of each other with a motif stitched into the kit
 

SERBIA

Puma seemed to panic with Serbia's strip. After realising they had basically copied what they had lined up for Switzerland, a last minute decision was made to include the country's flag down the middle of the away shirt. Still, it's better than yet another all-bland all-white kit of which this tournament is saturated with them.
Serbia's away kit features the national flag as opposed to the more conservative home shirt
Serbia's away kit features the national flag as opposed to the more conservative home shirt
Serbia's away kit features the national flag as opposed to the more conservative home shirt
 

SOUTH KOREA

Those magnificent 1994 World Cup kits are not coming back anytime soon, but Nike could have at least offered something more interesting in terms of a tired looking red home strip. Points are gained though for an away number that carries the design of the national flag on the front. Nice touch, that.
HOME KIT VERDICT: 5/10 
AWAY KIT VERDICT: 8/10 
South Korea's away strip contains a more stylish design compared to the home number
South Korea's away strip contains a more stylish design compared to the home number
South Korea's away strip contains a more stylish design compared to the home number
 

SPAIN

Stuck for a design? Pick a past one instead. That's the template for the Spain home shirt which takes inspiration from the... erm... memorable charge towards the quarter-finals in 1994. The modern twist works well though, which is more than be said of yet another bland all-white away kit.
HOME KIT VERDICT: 8/10 
AWAY KIT VERDICT: 6/10
Spain's home strip is based on a 1994 design while the away kit is a more simple all-white
Spain's home strip is based on a 1994 design while the away kit is a more simple all-white
Spain's home strip is based on a 1994 design while the away kit is a more simple all-white
 

SWEDEN

Sweden have an unfair advantage with kits as they feature the perhaps unbeatable combination of blue and yellow. In truth this doesn't quite mask the home strip being that bland although there is like for the collar that has a nod to World Cup '94 about it. No fear though because the blue away shirt with yellow shorts is a winner.
HOME KIT VERDICT: 7/10 
AWAY KIT VERDICT: 9/10 
Sweden will once again light up the World Cup in the highly attractive blue and yellow combo
Sweden will once again light up the World Cup in the highly attractive blue and yellow combo
Sweden will once again light up the World Cup in the highly attractive blue and yellow combo
 

SWITZERLAND

There really is nothing exciting going on here with Switzerland. Even the home and away kits are the same with reverses in colour. Don't be fooled by the white shorts on the away kit - there are red ones too - although the fear is they could make the kit look worse.
HOME KIT VERDICT: 6/10 
AWAY KIT VERDICT: 6/10 
Switzerland's home and away kits feature the same template with reverses in colour
Switzerland's home and away kits feature the same template with reverses in colour
Switzerland's home and away kits feature the same template with reverses in colour
 

TUNISIA

Some of the other low ranked sides in the tournament have an excuse for being shunned in terms of designs due to their manufacturer having focus elsewhere. But what's Tunisia's? Two kits from Uhlsport that are entirely forgettable unless the England circus turns up with a performance enough to top the clowns from against Iceland during Euro 2016. 
HOME KIT VERDICT: 6/10 
AWAY KIT VERDICT: 6/10 
Tunisia will play in white shirts at the 2018 World Cup and will feature in red as a change strip
Tunisia will play in white shirts at the 2018 World Cup and will feature in red as a change strip
Tunisia will play in white shirts at the 2018 World Cup and will feature in red as a change strip
 

URUGUAY

No surprises from Uruguay, who will turn up in Russia with their unique sky blue shirts, black shorts and socks combination. Still, with a stitched in sun on the front it looks good. The white away strip? Just bland, although there is a blue shorts version available which might just save it. Either way you can be sure Luis Suarez will bite your arm off to wear these in Russia.
HOME KIT VERDICT: 8/10 
AWAY KIT VERDICT: 6/10
Luis Suarez wore both of Uruguay's World Cup strips in the China Cup back in March
Luis Suarez wore both of Uruguay's World Cup strips in the China Cup back in March
Luis Suarez wore both of Uruguay's World Cup strips in the China Cup back in March

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