The FIFA World Cup is well underway, and whether you're a diehard football fan or someone who tends to dip their toe into supporting for the bigger tournaments like this, there are few things more exciting than the vibe of summer during a World Cup. Football and fashion—despite being two entirely different industries—are inextricably intertwined. Football culture and fandom has its own sense of dress that feels deeply personal to your style and team.
And football fashion trends today feel fresher and more unique than ever before. Giving credit where credit is due, designers like Martine Rose, Grace Wales Bonner, Priya Ahluwalia and Conner Ives have long been inspired by football strips and fan style, pioneering the notion that showing support no longer requires the 'the usual' football fan aesthetic made up of traditional team merch. Personalisation isn't just adding your name to the back of an official England jersey, and your choice isn't limited to a home or away kit. What's more is that these designers have enabled the sport to feel like a more inclusive space.
Vintage football shirts have been a go-to choice for an alternative supporter's style for years, but with searches for "World Cup Shirt" up 840% on Pinterest, the interest feels stronger than ever. Independent labels, often led by female designers, such as Hattie Crowther, Nicole Chui, Sophie Hird Studio and Renata Brenha, are rethinking the traditional football aesthetic, making it feel unique (often their designs are on-off creations) or hyperfeminine. Ironic slogan tees with taglines like "the ref can't hear you babe" and "I just want both teams to have fun" are great for those who love Y2K, or don't want to feel too serious.
Adding to this, many brands now offer 'football inspired' styles that capture the aesthetic without having any ties to a particular club. From Acne Studios to Miaou, Adidas and ASOS, one can show support for their favourite brand as much as their favoured team. This too allows for a little more self expression: pink! polka dot! personalised! Whatever your flavour, there's likely a footie jersey for you.
How to Style Your Football Shirt?
One question we often get asked is how to style football shirts. My advice, honestly, is to treat it like any other top in your wardrobe, just because it might be visually more impactful than a white tee, doesn't mean you can't treat it as such. Sure you can go simple with jeans and sneakers, but I suggest having fun with it. Lace skirts, capris and thong sandals, layered over dresses—take it up a notch! Have fun with it! Go glamorous! Also, look beyond the jersey. Sports shots, be them short and silky like Harry Styles', or longer Bermuda silhouettes, are huge right now. Also with football socks, sports jackets, track pants (or capris) as well as scenic wool jumpers—there's so much choice beyond the traditional shirt. I implore you to look to beauty and accessories too—scrunchies, scarves, even jewellery, as well as nail art designs, tooth gems. The bottom line is that there's nothing out of bounds, really, or off pitch and off side, should we say.
So, whether you support England, another team, or are just there to enjoy the vibes, there's so much choice. These are the biggest football fashion trends to know, and the very best items to shop ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026.
Football Fashion Trends to Know
1. The WAG Is Back
Football culture isn't always just about the game and its players, sometimes it's about their wives and girlfriends. The most iconic era of WAG culture, has to be in the 2006 World Cup in Badan Badan, Germany. The main subjects were Coleen Rooney, Cheryl Cole, Abbey Clancy and their queen, Victoria Beckham. They were to the tournament what The Plastics were to Mean Girls. They ruled the tabloids, they caused havoc in the town with their drinking and shopping and were said to be a complete distraction. If you have an obsession with the Y2K era, the OG WAGs will serve as the ultimate inspiration for supporting our boys this summer. Think XXL sunglasses, baby tees and tank tops with ironic slogans, mini skirts and a healthy dose of lipgloss—all of which are just as essential now as they were then.
And whilst it might be 20 years since this era, we're back with WAGs 2.0. From Tsolami Benson, Saka's fiancé, to Gabrielle Figueiredo, the wife of Arsenal and Brazil player Gabriel Magalhães, there are many stylish wives and girlfriends supporting this year who have their own brand partnerships and social following. They might cause less of a stir with the paparazzi, but we're no less obsessed with their style. Follow immediately if you don't already!
2. "Mel C-Core" (Not Blokecore)
"Blokecore" was huge in late 2021-22. Starting on TikTok but developing into a major trend around the the time of the last World Cup, it became a broad term for football styling, but really drew heavy inspiration from streetwear and '90s British hooligan football fashion. Think back to those famous pictures of the charity football game between Blur and Oasis in '96: it was peak '90s athleisure, streetwear style: retro football jerseys, bucket hats, with club scarves and Stone Island jackets. The problem was, (or rather is), is that the term feels exclusionary for women, and people of colour. Who What Wear UK senior fashion and beauty editor for branded content, Felicia Pennant, makes an excellent suggested revisal of the phrase—"for me, as a woman looking at that era, it's Mel C-core. She was the defining image of female football fandom in the '90s. And what's interesting is the evolution of that: back then on the playground, nobody wanted to be Sporty Spice, now she's the one that everyone emulates." So, if you too want to wear your oversized footie jerseys, scarves and sports jackets with your athletic capris and sneakers, just remember who you're really inspired by.
3. "Femme Footale"
Upcyling and personalising old and vintage football shirts has long been a trend, but lately I've noticed brands taking these traditionally 'masculine' garments, and making them ultra pretty and 'feminine'. Conner Ives' elasticated jerseys allow them to stretch and be completely fitted to the body, other more independent brands like Dilemma have added lingerie and corsetry. No more boxy, oversized silhouettes here! Look to sequin and beaded embellishments as well as fringing at cult label Cossa New York, lace sleeves at HoodBabyLA and bows! Toggles! Eyelets! And ruffles galore from UK-based Hairy Mary. Don't be fooled into thinking official strips are the only way, there's a world of cute cuts and fabulously silly, frilly footie styles that although are inspired by the original men's shirts, they couldn't be further from them.
4. Cool Collaborations
Wearing a piece from a designer sportswear collaboration is perhaps the best signifier of those in the know. Streetwear labels like Palace and Stüssy have long collaborated with sportswear brands on exclusive shirts, Martine Rose has her iconic Shox trainers with Nike, and Grace Wales Bonner's adidas collections and Sambas are some of the most sought after athleisure garments in the game. But in 2026, there's even more. Miaou x adidas, Puma x Ahluwalia, Slawn x Nike, Umbro by Slam Jam as well as Umbro x Aries—the options are truly endless!
5. More Than A Football Shirt
Shorts! Socks! Sports jackets! Please note: there's so much more out there than football jerseys. Venture beyond your usual tee and include tank tops, reworked dresses, sport shorts as well as accessories such as bucket hats, bandanas, sport socks and jewellery. Even with footwear, there are hybrids that go beyond the sneakerina. Look to Kaiia's heeled football mule—what a serve!
What Are the Important Facts to Know About the World Cup?
First of all, it's not just in the USA, but Canada and Mexico too, making it more of a North America tour. This means multiple timezones, which can be tricky to track across the pond. Be sure to do your research and be prepared to stay up late to watch certain games. It's also the biggest tournament FIFA have produced, with a whopping 48 teams in the initial knock-out stages, and 104 games. Players we're excited to see return in the England squad are Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford and of course, captain Harry Kane, all of which were the highest goal scorers in the World Cup 2022.
If you're wondering on who the favourites to win are, many have their money on France. After their loss in the 2022 final to Argentina, they'll be hungry to take the title this time, plus their capital's team PSG (Paris Saint Germain) just won the Champions League a few weeks ago. Elsewhere in Europe, Spain and Portugal are firm favourites, with a stellar team lineup. Brazil, Germany and Argentina are always a good bet too, but their team isn't as strong as it's been in the past. Naturally, I want to shout out England, whilst they're not the bookies favourite, you never know—could this be the year the Three Lions bring it home? Let's see.
