The United States World Cup 2026 home kit is here and fans of a certain vintage will be over the moon to see some familiar touches.
World Cup kits are a big deal in football design circles and fanbases alike, and the United States releases are particularly pertinent as one of the three host nations for the World Cup this summer.
Nike have scratched a big kit enthusiast itch with their home kit for Mauricio Pochettino's USMNT, drawing more than a little inspiration from a popular design worn the last time World Cup finals matches were played in the USA.
The United States World Cup 2026 home kit is a modern update of 1994 classics
The USA hosted World Cup 1994 alone and it was the catalyst for the formation of Major League Soccer, which was essentially a requirement of the nation's World Cup bid.
Without a professional national league, the United States as an international team were emerging from the wilderness to an extent. They did so in style, wearing a wavy 'stripes' home shirt and a stunning 'stars' away kit. The denim look has gone but the waves are back – as are the stars with the away kit.
The home kit features a modernised version of the wavy red and white stripes, depicting one of the key features of the United States of America's national flag.
The retro inspiration of the federation badge works well and is reflected in navy blue collar and cuffs.
There's a space for the bespoke Nike number on the front, so the shirt works beautifully on that side. The back, required by FIFA to be a single block colour to allow high contrast between the background and the number, isn't quite so satisfying.
Legacy is always defined by what happens on the field, and this home kit has the potential to become a real crowd-pleaser if Pochettino's men do the business.
In FourFourTwo's opinion, the original denim away kit – re-released lately by Adidas – was magical, but the star is the stripes this time around.
Nike have delivered lots of tremendous USA kits over the years, both home and away, but there will be more eyes on these than any of them.
The home kit might be topped by a shirt of two halves but when it makes its on-pitch debut, it's sure to be a hit.
What do you think? Does the back of the USA home shirt detract from the front? Is it a winning host nation souvenir? Let us know in the comments below...
