2026 World Cup jerseys: Several nations could play in different kits

At the 2026 FIFA World Cup, several countries may not wear their official tournament kits in any match. BBC Sport analysed which national teams' jerseys could remain unused during the tournament.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be held in the US, Canada and Mexico, and even before the tournament begins a question has arisen: will all the unveiled official kits actually make it onto the pitch?

BBC Sport's team analysed the situation and concluded that several national teams competing in the World Cup could wear alternative or away kits throughout the entire tournament. This typically happens when two teams' primary kits are too similar in colour and competition rules require one team to use an alternative kit.

Why kits go unused?

World Cups have strict regulations that ensure the two opposing teams are clearly distinguishable on the pitch. If two nations' primary kits are visually too similar, one team must wear a different, often darker or lighter alternative kit. If such a nation happens to face difficult group match pairings, it is possible their primary shirt could go unworn throughout the tournament.

Similar situations have occurred at previous World Cups, but the 2026 tournament is exceptionally large – 48 nations are competing, which means more matches and thus more potential colour clashes. In addition, several major nations have chosen similar tones as their primary colour this time.

Expanded format brings new challenges

The larger format makes logistics more complex for the organisers as well, since more participants means more possible kit clashes. National teams must bring both sets of kits to the tournament, and FIFA requires all shirts to be officially registered and approved before the tournament begins.

This can create a paradox where some nation's fans buy their team's official World Cup home shirt, yet watch their team play in a different kit throughout the entire tournament.