10 Best International Kits in Football History (Ranked)

Major footballing tournaments always bring out excitement from countries across the world. They only occur every two years, and they see the world’s best teams go head-to-head. Pride, passion and belief. These three words epitomise the nationalism fans show during an international tournament.

In England, the pub gardens fill up, the sun shines in an unlikely manner for the country, and even people who don’t watch football religiously passionately support Gareth Southgate and his side. However, even if the performances are underwhelming, the kits on show always start a conversation.

Not only are they intended to highlight what it means to play for their country, but they are meant to be a long-lasting image of that tournament. You know a jersey is successful when fans can remember it 20 years in the future. With Euro 2024 and the Copa America taking place right now, we have taken a look at the 10 best international kits of all time. Symbolising how popular they are, the kits ranked highest can now be bought for over £500.

Ranking Factors

• Appearance – It’s the most important thing about a shirt. It can only be ranked high if it looks good.
• Players who wore it – The greatest shirts have world-class players wear them as they add to its value.
• Price – Some of the most expensive shirts of all time are now worth hundreds of pounds.

10 England 1990 Third Kit

Shirts that are hardly ever worn gain a status that very few hold. “Remember that England Third Kit in 1991 which was only worn once,” someone down the pub might say, but nearly everyone will remember it because it is an anomaly. It goes against the grain, yet simply because of its uniqueness, it stands out as one of the Three Lions’ greatest jerseys. In 1991, England beat Turkey 1-0 away from home, thanks to a winner from Dennis Wise on his debut. The match might have been uneventful during qualifying for Euro 1992, but the blue, checkered shirt is always remembered for all the right reasons.

9 Argentina 1986 Home Kit

The 1986 World Cup stands out as one of the most controversial tournaments of all time. Argentina became champions of the world, mostly due to Diego Maradona’s incredible performances, but it’s always remembered for the wrong reasons. In the quarter-finals, the playmaker, who is considered one of the greatest players of all time, scored twice, but one came in the form of a handball past Peter Shilton, one of England’s best goalkeepers ever. It wasn’t noticed by the officials and the South Americans progressed before beating West Germany 3-2 in the final. Maradona in his iconic blue and white striped shirt lives on forever metaphorically.

8 England 1996 Home Kit

“Football’s coming home,” English fans sang. Since 1996, it has stuck as a symbol of belief in glory, but when it was first released, it was purely used to highlight how the country was hosting a major tournament for the first time since 1966. With Paul Gascoigne, one of England’s greatest midfielders, pulling the strings, showcased by his stunning goal against Scotland, the Three Lions believed. The home kit, which had a classic look with blue trims, was adored by every patriotic man or woman — and that’s hardly surprising when the players wearing it truly did come close to glory. They were heartbreakingly knocked out on penalties in the semi-finals, but football did technically come home.

7 France 1998 Home Kit

They say fairytales don’t exist, but France’s performances during the 1998 World Cup go against that logic. The country was hosting the tournament for the first time since 1938 and they were playing in a stunning home kit. With blue used as the base colour and classic white and red trims throughout, it stands out against the test of time. The only thing they needed to add to the tournament was World Cup glory. As the sun set for the final, France beat Brazil 3-0 in the final to win the tournament for the first time in their history. Two goals from Zinedine Zidane, one of the greatest midfielders of all time, sealed victory.

6 Norway 2020 Away Kit

Compared to other kits on this list, Norway doesn’t have a remarkable backstory that saw it on every mainstream newspaper’s back and front. In truth, the Scandinavian team have severely underperformed in recent years. With Erling Haaland, who is always one of the favourites to win the Ballon d’Or, and Martin Odegaard, the country should have qualified for several major tournaments. Yet, their performances didn’t match the beauty of their kit. Used during qualifying for the 2022 World Cup, their Arctic away kit symbolised the cold climate they play in. Simply put, it was stunning and will stand the test of time.

5 Nigeria 2018 Home Kit

The build-up to the 2018 World Cup focused on the political issues and alleged bribery concerns with Russia hosting the tournament. It had every right to after several investigations, yet on a completely different page, Nigeria’s home kit got people talking for all the right reasons. Channelling their energetic culture and passion, the kit made by Nike stood out from the crowd as one of the best of all time. Unfortunately, the performances didn’t match the jersey, as they were knocked out after winning just one match, but they gave Argentina and Lionel Messi a major scare in their final game.

4 Mexico 1998 Home Kit

Mexico has always been a country fans worldwide could look to for inspiration. They understand the process behind creating a stunning football jersey — and their efforts in 1998 have not gone unnoticed. It had symbols on the front of it to channel its historic culture, standing out instead of the typically dull shirts used by other nations. Using the iconic Sun Stone design, the shirt represented the country’s pre-Hispanic roots. It fused the culture of the country with it. On the pitch, Mexico were knocked out by Germany in the Round of 16, but all the talk was still about their stunning jersey.

3 Denmark 1986 Home Kit

Denmark’s performance in the 1986 World Cup wasn’t exactly inspiring. They did reach the Round of 16, but they were then humiliated by Spain 5-1. In effect, their performances failed to match the beauty of their stunning, yet quite simple, home kit. The shirt flaunted distinctly panelled halves of shadowed stripes against red pinstripes, with a thin-blue finish for effect, and red chevrons stitched into white sleeves. It’s important this was still during an era when this was unconventional. ‘Football fashion’, as it is now typically called, was hardly a thing, yet Denmark broke the barrier, creating one of the best shirts of all time.

2 West Germany 1988 Home Kit

West Germany were always the better footballing country compared to East Germany until they unified, symbolising the difference between the living standards in the two areas. They finished as runners-up in the 1986 World Cup, which gave them the belief that they could win the 1988 Euros. However, they blew their chances in the semi-finals against the Netherlands, conceding two late goals to lose 2-1. Despite this, their run at the tournament is always memorable due to their kit. With a white base background and the German flag etched across it, the jersey was simple yet stunning. There have even been remakes since, but none have come close to the original.

1 Netherlands 1988 Home Kit

Finally, the Netherlands’ jersey from the 1988 Euros is widely seen as the greatest kit of all time. It’s probably helped by the fact that they won the tournament by beating the Soviet Union 2-0 in the final. A stunning strike from Marco van Basten, which has a remarkable story behind it, sealed victory after they beat West Germany in the semi-finals. The kit featured a mix of white and orange blended into one another across the shirt, with typical Adidas marketing on the sleeves. The German company used this as a template, yet nothing came close to beating Holland’s jersey. Currently, a real version of the jersey sells for more than £500.