It takes Nick Thurston roughly 10 to 15 minutes to settle which kits each team will wear in a FIFA World Cup 2026 match — but those minutes are backed by more than a year of preparation.
Thurston, FIFA's Senior Competition Manager, oversees a process that carries consequences far beyond aesthetics. A player scanning the pitch needs to trust that the blur of colour in his peripheral vision belongs to a teammate. A referee tracking a loose ball near the touchline must distinguish between two pairs of socks in an instant. Stadium spectators, broadcast commentators, VAR cameras, automated offside technology, and tracking systems all depend on the same thing: teams being clearly, unambiguously different from each other.
More than a year of groundwork
Preparations for the first 48-team FIFA World Cup 2026 began roughly 18 months before the tournament, when the FIFA Equipment Working Group (FEWG) started reviewing proposed kit designs alongside the major manufacturers. The FEWG brings together representatives from FIFA Competition Management, FIFA Partnership Rights Delivery, and the FIFA Legal departments.
In November 2025, FIFA formally requested colour registrations from all qualified nations — first-choice and alternate kits, optional third kits, and a minimum of three goalkeeper options. Every submission had to include one clear dark kit and one clear light kit. Physical samples were then sent to FIFA, laid out, inspected, and photographed.
The FEWG flags potential complications at this stage: font readability, the interchangeability of shorts and socks between kits, or any combination within the match schedule that might demand closer attention. Colour vision deficiency is also a standing consideration — FIFA actively tries to avoid red versus blue match-ups, as both colours are classified as dark for viewers with impaired colour vision.
Croatia's checkerboard and the Portugal complication
Croatia's iconic red-and-white checkerboard shirt presented exactly that kind of challenge. In previous tournaments — including the FIFA World Cup 2018 final, when Croatia wore it against France in all blue — the jersey carried enough white to be classified as the light option. For FIFA World Cup 2026, the design changed.
