The best kits we didn’t see at World Cup 2022

Cast your minds back to the last World Cup, and Nigeria’s home shirt was the breakout star of the tournament. This time around, they were unlucky not to qualify (they were knocked out by Ghana on away goals) but still delivered the goods in terms of kit. Sticking to the team’s traditional green colour, Nike and Nigeria added a hand-drawn graphic across the entire shirt. Right in the middle is a flying eagle, a nod to the team’s Super Eagle nickname.

Egypt’s failure to qualify for the World Cup meant heartbreak for Mo Salah, while also depriving fans of another strong kit. This one is relatively simple, although the thin black pinstripes help to elevate the all red shirt. Finishing off the design is a thin black and white trim around each sleeve and collar. Although the less said about this 2022 away shirt the better.

Undoubtedly the biggest team not to be in Qatar, Italy still decided to honour their four World Cup wins this year. They opted for a quartered approach, with two different shades of blue complemented by gold detailing and a Tricolore trim. It was also the last kit in Italy’s long running deal with PUMA, with adidas having already confirmed a sponsorship deal set to begin in January 2023.

Sweden’s away shirt might appear to be playing things safe, but it's all in the details. The shirt’s base is plain white – something Sweden haven’t done since the early aughts – but it’s finished with blue and yellow detailing that creates a link both to the national flag and to the 2022 home shirt. This stripe runs around the collar and each sleeve, while also taking over the adidas Three Stripes on each shoulder, giving the shirt a coherent and sophisticated aesthetic.

James Rodrigues and Luis Diaz were both unlucky to miss out on the World Cup this year after Colombia finished one point away from the inter-confederation playoff. That didn’t stop adidas releasing a standout kit for them though. The away shirt focused on the red that sits within the country’s crest, slightly tweaking it with a light blue trim and an abstract graphic pattern on the front.

There’s something about Peru’s bright red sash that immediately makes it one of the best in international football. The traditional design returned for 2022, although Peru couldn’t make it to the World Cup after losing to Australia on penalties. The sash featured slight adjustments this time, with a multicoloured affect at each end in reference to traditional Incan art. The same multicoloured pattern appeared on each sleeve cuff as well. It would’ve looked great in Qatar, and can you imagine a Marathon-produced kit at the World Cup?

Ivory Coast’s bright orange colours are also a classic of tournament football after their group stage appearances in 2006, 2010 and 2014. This time, they were eliminated in the second round of CAF qualifiers, although they may have perfected their home shirt. The signature bright orange was offset with a white trim around the collar and sleeves, while a tonal orange stripe pattern on the front added a new dimension to the much-loved kit.

For all the spectacle of the 2022 World Cup, somehow it felt a bit like someone hadn’t been invited. Imagine if Erling Haaland was there, terrorising defences and helping Norway progress. Anyway, they didn’t qualify and he wasn’t there. If they had, they would’ve worn this away shirt, which adorns an otherwise straight-forward white shirt with a swirl that runs from top to bottom. Both for Haaland and for this immaculate away kit, Norway were missed.

Algeria could earn a place on this list for either of its 2022 shirts, as well as a few bonus points for the way they mirror each other. That said, the home shirt is the pick of the bunch. The dark green colour is offset by two lines on the left hand side in honour of the shirts worn by Algeria at their previous World Cup appearances, including 1982’s unfortunate dismissal due to the so-called Disgrace of Gijon. The shirt was finished off with adidas’ new logo in gold as a tribute to Algeria’s 2019 victory in the Africa Cup of Nations.

Panama’s appearance at the 2018 World Cup was their first ever qualification for the tournament, and they were unfortunately ranked as the worst team to take part that year. Although they didn’t qualify for 2022, they went some way to repairing the damage with their away shirt. The key feature of the shirt is the blue lines that appear to emanate from the nation’s crest. Despite the strength of the design, it also marked the end of New Balance’s tenure as Panama’s shirt sponsor, with Reebok waiting in the wings to take over.