Nike's France World Cup 2026 home kit is out, providing a timely reminder of the cultural ties between the French and Americans.
World Cup kits are steadily dropping, and France are one of the favourites going into the 48-team tournament this summer, with a squad bursting with stars such as Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, and Michael Olise.
And Nike have produced a kit worthy of Les Bleus' remarkable footballing history. Perhaps one that will add a third star above their badge on 19 July.
The Nike's France World Cup 2026 home kit was based on a very special gift
For the last two tournaments, Les Bleus have worn a dark indigo at World Cups – and it's been a successful shade for them, given that they've reached two finals on the bounce.
2018's home kit saw a tint so dark that it almost looked black with bright blue on the arms before 2022's home effort paired another indigo look with gold.
This one's dark, too, as the designers have moved away from the bright and vibrant blue that adorned the French shirts as they bundled into the European Championship semi-finals in 2024, only to be dumped out by eventual champions Spain.
Instead, a darker ‘game royal’ blue is paired with the ‘metallic copper’ in a persistent lightning-like zigzag down the front of the shirt.
That ‘metallic copper’ is a nod to the oxidised copper colour on the Statue of Liberty, which was a gift from France to the United States in 1886.
The Nike swoosh and cockerel take on an orange copper hue, complemented by the deeper blues across the kit – and finally, a plain white collar rounds off a sleek design, bringing a touch of the vintage to an otherwise modern design.
It reminds FourFourTwo of the collar found on the 2014 kit in Brazil, where France bowed out to eventual champions Germany in the quarter-finals.
In FourFourTwo’s opinion, it’s a really clean kit, and one very much on our list of potential purchases.
There's a cohesion, too, with the away kit having the same copper-style logos, with the Statue of Liberty theme continuing between the two kits.
What do you think, though? Let us know your thoughts below…
