With the 2022 FIFA World Cup being roughly two months away, a number of the 32 participants in Qatar have been dropping their kits for the highly-anticipated tournament.
Outside of roster announcements, a kit unveiling is the most exciting part of the build-up to FIFA's prestigious event. As a result, fans eagerly awaited what Nike had in store for the likes of France, the Netherlands, Portugal, Brazil, and the USMNT.
And on Thursday, September 15, we got the answer. The billion-dollar American manufacturers dropped the jerseys for the aforementioned nations, as well as Poland, Croatia, Canada, Saudi Arabia, and the host nation, just to name a few.
Sadly, while some of Nike's designs will have fans reaching for their wallets, purses, and credit cards in a heartbeat, others sparked anger on social media. Unfortunately for Portugal, they fall into the latter category, as Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes modeled the new–but unpopular–look for A Seleção.
The kit has "deep and vivacious shades of red and green" with a diagonal line cutting across the chest and back, mimicking the country's flag wrapped around a player. However, this edition pales in comparison to some of the previous works of art donned by Luis Figo, Deco, and Cristiano Ronaldo. The away shirt, meanwhile, is of an off-white shade and has a strip with identical green and red shades to pay tribute to the nation's flag.
Portugal's 2022 World Cup kits are here pic.twitter.com/Jt5WEedC3W
— B/R Football (@brfootball) September 15, 2022
However, many were left upset as Ronaldo's final FIFA World Cup tournament could come in this polarizing shirt. Likewise, England's new look was met with a similar reaction. While Nike wasn't supposed to release the Three Lions' jersey until a later date out of respect for the recent death of Queen Elizabeth II, the company mistakenly unveiled it and gave supporters an early glimpse at what Harry Kane and Co. will be wearing in Qatar.
World Cup #Qatar2022 kits: England pic.twitter.com/jfAkgnFa6F
— Arsène's Son (@hughwizzy) September 15, 2022
England's away shirt is a red design with dark blue sprinkled here and there, including the collar and bottom of the sleeves, and has been received fairly well. However, the main jersey garnered a far worse reaction. Check out the best tweets below.
Genuinely one of the worst kits I've ever seen. Portugal historically have always had amazing kits and you give us this?
— Filipe Orlando (@MrFilipeOrlando) September 15, 2022
Just look at the downgrade pic.twitter.com/Cxg316fCs1
New Portugal kit looks banging pic.twitter.com/9239W9Bl0h
— Hala Madrid (check pinned) (@madridopinions_) September 15, 2022
Nike going with the classic Pro Evo 6 look with Portugal's World Cup kit pic.twitter.com/V5rEogPFNJ
— Paddy Power (@paddypower) September 15, 2022
Someone needs to start a petition against Nike making kits because how is it even possible to butcher a Portugal kit?
— Mod (@CFCMod_) September 15, 2022
The away is alright but the blue badge spoils it. The home is one of the worst England kits I've ever seen. https://t.co/TQ6IWnT6PA
— James. (@afcjxmes) September 15, 2022
England fans reacting to the new World Cup kit pic.twitter.com/cffXBusJ64
— ODDSbible (@ODDSbible) September 15, 2022
Struggling to think of a worse England kit. pic.twitter.com/Po72Lr2VuZ
— Tom Dutton (@TomDutty) September 15, 2022
Nothing says 'knocked out by Senegal in the last 16' more than Englands new World Cup kit pic.twitter.com/VtBkcBqqTx
— England Extra (@EnglandExtra) September 6, 2022
I hope we wear the away kit every game. But even that is poor by our standards.
— Eno Futboh (@eno_futboh) September 15, 2022
Usually have nice, classy kits. The away one is just a shitter version of what we had years ago
The home kit is genuinely hideous. Worst England kit I've ever seen. https://t.co/8P4c1n4eeu
Portugal's home kit for World Cup 2022 pic.twitter.com/Debj1JDos5
— Troll Football (@TrollFootball) September 15, 2022
As mentioned earlier, the USMNT kit was also unveiled, with the home jersey being the typical white design with red and blue stripes running across the sleeve. The away jersey, however, took a more unique route as the blue shirt boasts red accents on the sides and a black-colored textured pattern created by an "iced-dying" technique.
Check out Nike's other jerseys for the 2022 FIFA World Cup
France
Netherlands
Canada
Croatia
Brazil