On-Pitch Identity: Should National Football Teams Wear Domestic Brands?

If you've tuned in to at least two matches of the 2026 World Cup™ thus far, you've likely noticed a couple of things: 1. So many football boots are pink and 2. Most national football teams—37 of 48 to be exact—are wearing kits made by either Nike, adidas, or PUMA.

It's no surprise that the "Big 3" football brands have manufactured on-pitch gear for 77% of countries represented at the World Cup™ given their resources and budgets. This, however, wasn't always the case.

Early editions of the FIFA tournament saw participating national football teams wear in-house designs produced by domestic brands. Many of these pioneering sportswear manufacturers have seen disappeared, but they've left an impression amongst supports and kit-enthusiasts alike—one that begs the question, "Should national football teams wear homegrown brands?"

It's highly unlikely that football federations go back to a time when domestic pride trumps working with the highest bidder, but the Matchday 3 fixture between Ecuador and Germany of Group E reminded every spectator of a time when on-pitch apparel reflected the hyper-localized identities and cultural cachet of national team representatives and their fans.

The Group E members have not been alone in doubling down on national pride through kits this competition. Uzbekistan exited the North American tournament early, but it did so sporting gear manufactured by 7SABER, a brand founded in 2021 by Otabek Umarov and Oraz Abdurazakov, and headquartered in Tashkent, the country's capital city.

Uzbekistan's kits weren't highly-regarded in "Best of" lists, but they will forever go down as a point of pride given that a domestic brand outfitted the Central Asian national football team for its first-ever World Cup™ appearance.

Iran is another country in the 2026 event partnering with a homegrown sportswear manufacturer—Majid to be precise. Formerly known as Merooj, the company was founded in Iran by Majid Saedifar in 1987. Saedifar's imprint had a brief stint with the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran in the late 2000s before becoming the football team's exclusive supplier ahead of the 2022 Qatar World Cup™.

As underdogs on-the-pitch, both national football teams have fought against sides like Portugal, Colombia, Belgium, and Egypt while having Uzbekistan and Iran on their backs.

The United States of America (USA) has also worn a domestic brand even if that brand just so happens to be the world's biggest sportswear company—NIKE, Inc.

As one of three hosts of the 2026 World Cup™, a lot of expectation had been placed on Mauricio Pochettino's men. Despite a heartbreaking loss to Türkiye, the "Stars and Stripes" topped Group D while wearing a set of kits many—even the loudest detractors—have acknowledged as some of the tournament's best.

The Nike design team behind the USMNT's on-pitch gear for the competition fully dove into what the USA represents, with much insight coming directly from the players that have ended up wearing the kits this summer. The Home shirt is an artful interpretation of the country's flag, while the Away jersey goes subtle while still nodding to the stars crucial to the U.S. flag.

"The Best of U.S." messaging appears on the inner collar, a detail that the minds behind the kits' designs—many from similar multi-cultural backgrounds as Pochettino's 26-player squad.

Could another brand have developed such well-received product? Surely—adidas proved it from 1974-94—but there's something to the "for us, by us" approach, no? (Shoutout FUBU!)

One reasonable question to have on the topic of national teams wearing domestic brands has to do with some countries simply being unable to produce high-performing sportswear for lack of manufacturing infrastructure and logistics network. Curaçao, home to just under 160,000 residents, might not be able to play football without the assistance of brands like Nike, Kelme, and Beltona.

adidas' current partnership with the Curaçao Football Federation—which is for 4.5 years—ensured the smallest nation to ever qualify for a World Cup™ had bespoke gear for the occasion; this has also ensured that fans of "The Blue Wave" have access to items that celebrate the constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Money given to the FFK should also inject energy and resources into the island-country's football program so that the national team counties competiting.

The unwavering "blokecore" trend has demonstrated just how hungry savvy kit collectors and casuals alike are for retro product. Brands like ABA SPORT and Atlética have reissued some of the Mexico national football team's most-beloved jerseys to much success. Products from this duo are on opposite sides of the spectrum—one is as attention-grabbing a design for Mexico can be, while the other is rather tonal—but both speak to a Mexican audience in ways that subsequent sponsors Nike and adidas might not be able to.

These 20-something-year-old designs fall short in terms of performance innovation when compared to current sponsor adidas, so maybe reverting to a domestic brand would serve as a disadvantage for players like Gilberto Mora and Érik Lira, and that's the last thing any fan of any national side wants: to lose.

Maybe niche performance gear for World Cup™ participants is a thing of the past, or simply reserved to nations who have yet to establish their footballing heritage. In any case, it's nice to wonder "What if?"