Wondering How to Style A Soccer Jersey? We’ve Got You Covered for the World Cup

You may have heard: there’s a big sporting event ahead in 2026.

If you live in North America, you may have heard it more than once.

The continent is hosting the FIFA World Cup, perhaps the biggest sporting event this side of the Olympics, across three countries and multiple cities this summer. It will have everything: big stars, big moments, age-old rivalries, upstart football nations looking to pull off an upset (shoutout to Morocco for their killer 2022 showing) and more.

The years leading up to the event have seen soccer take off more and more in the United States and Canada (it was already the king of kings in Mexico) as the sport grows on the nations’ soil and major tournaments like the Copa America in 2024 take place here. Canada’s national team has grown in esteem while MLS has gone from a bottom-tier league to a real contender in the grand scope of soccer, signing stars like Lionel Messi and Son Heung-Min.

Fashion has followed — in the form of football kits. It’s no surprise; the sport has always had a fashion-forward slant and its jerseys are perhaps the easiest to wear in day to day life — the fit and cut resembles a traditional tee rather than the tank-top style of a basketball jersey or an oversized American football top. Countless sportswear brands have offered their takes on soccer kits over the years, with adidas and Nike comfortably leading the pack (don’t sleep on classics from brands like Umbro or Warrior, though).

Accordingly, the market for vintage football kits had exploded to levels we’ve never seen — and it makes all the sense in the world. Setting aside the rising popularity of the sport in North America, there’s an element of personal expression to picking a football jersey that isn’t quite as present with NBA or MLB jerseys. Unlike those leagues, with their (mostly) fixed number of teams and consistent uniform design over the years, there are more active soccer clubs — on both the league and international level — across the globe than one could attempt to count. Those clubs, for the most part, get a new jersey every season. It’s not just about wearing a Liverpool shirt, it’s which Liverpool shirt. There are dozens upon dozens from a squad that’s been around for more than century. Tracking down favourites can become a thrill in and of itself.

That vintage market is fuelled in part by a number of popular retailers in the space. ClassicFootballShirts is among the biggest, with flagship stores in major cities across North America and a thriving online operation as well. Saturdays Football is another big name in the space with boutiquey stores in cities like New York, Los Angeles, and Miami. The crowds that hang there aren’t dissimilar to those that loiter outside Aime Leon Dore; they’ll pull up in a deep pull jersey, hoping someone knows what vibe they’re on and shouts them out for it.

Jerseys like these are also significantly easier to style in a wide variety of fashions than those of other sports. A great vintage soccer kit can be worn with a tee and jeans, tucked in with suit trousers and a blazer, or worn in a funky streetwear getup with wide-legged pants and a KITH jacket. Because they’re almost always styled as short-sleeved tees, they’re ideal for layering as well, allowing the kit to be the nucleus of a fit built around its colours and style. Those classic purple Toronto Raptors jerseys are iconic, don’t get us wrong, but they’re a bit harder to style in a way that wouldn’t look out of place at a Friday night dinner. Soccer kits on the other hand? They’re primed for it.

As the World Cup approaches, you can expect plenty more soccer kits to dominate moodboards, trend roundups, and the best-dressed accounts on your Instagram Explore page. It’s a great time to get in on the fun — pick a favourite old club tee or get one of the stunning new World Cup kits from Nike or adidas. It’s almost time for kickoff.

FEATURE PHOTO: MESSI, YAMAL, DIAZ, COURTESY OF ADIDAS.

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