As the build up to the 2026 Fifa World Cup continues, all the focus is on one thing.

No, not who’s likely to win it or if anyone will end an ever-growing number of years of hurt – but what will the teams be wearing?

Kits have been released for all the men’s teams competing in the USA, Canada and Mexico as well as the rest of the world of international football with eye-catching designs and sky-high prices.

BBC Bitesize looks back at some of the iconic home nations men’s kits worn throughout the years.

England

It might seem obvious – but for England, you have to go back to their most famous moment when you think about iconic kits.

For a country who so often takes to the field in white shirts – England haven’t worn an away shirt in any of their last three major tournaments – it’s the red of 1966 that stands out to most when they think of England shirts.

Red shirts were first used by England in 1951 for a fixture with Argentina – their previous change colour had been blue. The 1966 World Cup final with West Germany saw two teams who traditionally wore white going head-to-head. England lost a coin toss and had to wear their change strip, and the rest is history.

Red has remained England’s typical away colour since – although there have been dalliances with shades of blue, the infamous grey of 1996, 2024’s ‘plum raisin’ and a yellow strip in 1973.

Throughout their history, England’s home shirts have remained white – with no look as memorable as that of 1990.

The World Cup shirts, made by Umbro, featured the signature double diamonds on the cuff. Identical versions of the kit were made in red, as the primary change kit as well as an alternate in sky blue.

That blue third kit was rarely seen – only being used in one match against Turkey as well as featuring prominently in the New Order World Cup song World in Motion - but has remained a cult classic ever since.

Scotland

Given the 2026 World Cup will be the men’s first appearance at the finals in almost 30 years, the Tartan Army probably won’t care too much what they wear.

They needn’t worry though given they have an instant classic combination of kits to wear in North America, even if there is some confusion over the actual colour of their classy away strip.

But however popular their new shirts may prove to be, they’ll have a long way to go to beat their iconic number from the late 1970s.

Voted their most popular home shirt of all time in a Scottish Football Association poll, this diamond-trimmed shirt was worn as the Scots headed to their first World Cup outside of Europe in 1978.

The national team went to Argentina full of confidence – no more so than when their manager Ally MacLeod predicted the talented side would come home with a medal.

Sadly it didn’t go their way with a first round exit despite a thrilling victory over the Netherlands.

Away from home, Scotland have worn yellow, pink (including both together in an interesting 2015 kit) and white shirts – with the latter earning the Scottish vote for their favourite change strip ever.

The all-white Diadora kit with sky blue cross – in a reverse of the traditional colours of the flag – was worn as James McFadden scored from 30 yards against France in Paris as Scotland pulled off a famous 1-0 win away from home in 2008.

Wales

It had been a long, long wait for a major tournament for Wales.

Their previous appearance was at the 1958 World Cup – when the team took to the field in heavy red cotton shirts with oversized white v-necks.

A classic look – but you’d be hard pressed to find a Welsh fan whose greatest Cymru connection with a kit wasn’t with the 2016 effort.

The Red Dragons’ appearance at Euro 2016 ended a long period of hurt in style as the Welsh team reached the semi-finals of the tournament.

While the exit in the final four was tough to take, it followed a stunning night in the quarter-finals in Lille when Chris Coleman’s side beat the much-fancied Belgium 3-1.

A simple design in red and white from Adidas – but the memories created in that shirt mean so much more.

If that kit was clean throughout, the opposite could be said for some of Wales kits in the 70s, 80s and 90s.

Their famous Admiral kit – as briefly pictured above with Scotland’s 1978 effort – featured piping in yellow and green than ran from the shirts to the shorts.

Their away kits in the 1990s were just as eye-catching with three in particular standing out. A white shirt with red and green flecks – known as the Christmas Tree shirt by fans – was followed by an oversized white shirt with red and green pinstripes that created an almost 3D effect.

The country even introduced a navy away shirt with swirling red and white patterns on it – they’ve stuck to safer ground with white, yellow or green ever since.

Northern Ireland

While Northern Ireland’s football team will always be associated with green shirts and white shorts – it was the reverse of these colours that saw them produce one of their finest moments.

In just their second world cup, and down to 10 men, Northern Ireland beat hosts Spain 1-0 in Valencia in 1982 in an instant classic away shirt.

The white shirt, with green pinstripes and huge oversized green collar saw them pick up a famous victory that booked a spot in the second round.

More often than not, however, the team is in traditional green shirts. Blue has also been a colour featured regularly in home strips – harking back to the days of an all-Ireland team who took the field in blue shirts.

Northern Ireland have worn green and blue quartered shirts in the past, or one memorable kit where a single sleeve was in a shade of navy. But the Irish Football Association (IFA) went a different route when commissioning a shirt to mark the 125th anniversary of the organisation.

This 2005 effort brought laces back to the collar and a retro version of the IFA crest – along with opting for a darker shade of green.

That darker green has made a semi-regular return to their kits ever since – and was even paired again with blue sleeves when the national side qualified for Euro 2016.

Honourable kit mentions

It wouldn’t be a BBC Bitesize love letter to football kits without a quick look at some of the other iconic football shirts that have graced international tournaments.

There have of course been highs and wonderful lows.

The 1988 European Championships saw West Germany and the Netherlands go head-to-head – with both sides wearing shirts that are generally regarded to be among the game’s greatest ever.

West Germany’s white shirt featured a abstract take on the country’s flag, while the Netherland’s orange kit looked like a magic eye picture with a stunning geometric design throughout.

But while some kits are classics for genuine reasons, others have become incredibly popular because of their slightly terrible designs.

There’s no better example of this than the USA kits for the first time they hosted the World Cup in 1994.

The home shirt was designed to look like the American flag – with wavy red and white lines so it appeared as if it were fluttering in the breeze up a flagpole. But it’s the away shirt that lives even longer in the memory.

With the stripes on the home shirt, the away was all about the stars – and nothing said all-American like putting it on a denim look shirt.

To top things off, it was paired with red shorts. A fashion disaster or a cult classic? Either way, it was a completely unforgettable kit, just like the others on this list.

This article was published in March 2026