Luxury fashion is stepping on to football’s biggest stage. As teams prepare for the Fifa World Cup 2026, fashion houses and sportswear giants are racing to secure cultural relevance through collaborations blending luxury, streetwear and sport.
The World Cup will take place from June 11 to July 19 in the United States, Mexico and Canada. A record 48 teams will compete across 104 matches, generating one of the largest audiences in sporting history.
Spain
Among the biggest fashion announcements is that Spanish luxury house Loewe will dress Spain’s national teams off the pitch.
“Loewe is now the official partner for Spain’s national football teams,” the company said in a statement. “Under the creative direction of Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, Loewe will dress the Spanish teams beyond the pitch for tournaments around the world.”
The look is understated luxury: a bright blue polo shirt layered beneath a roomy single-breasted navy jacket and wide-cut trousers. Spain’s emblem is embroidered on the jacket breast, while Loewe’s terracotta logo sits discreetly on the cuff. Patent black lace-up shoes complete the outfit.
Uruguay
Ex-Chloe creative director Gabriela Hearst has created the uniforms for the Uruguayan national team. The collection has personal resonance for Hearst, who was born in Uruguay and is the seventh generation of her family to run a ranch.
For the tailored uniforms the team will wear off-pitch, she uses fine merino wool from ranches in northern Uruguay. Known for its ability to wick moisture away from the body as well as help regulate body temperature, this offers ample opportunity to showcase one of the country's most famous exports.
Mexico
Another nation drawing on its heritage is Mexico, which is not only co-hosting this summer’s World Cup, but is also the only country to have hosted the tournament three times.
To mark the occasion, adidas has partnered with Mexican social-impact brand Someone Somewhere on the Mexican national team’s third kit. The limited-edition six-piece collection has been hand-embellished by 150 female artisans from the Sierra Norte de Puebla region.
Extending the Somos Mexico (We Are Mexico) message featured across the team’s home and away kits, each piece includes a QR code linking to the profile of the artisan who helped create it.
Ivar Sisniega, the executive president of the Mexican Football Federation, explained how he hopes Mexican fans will embrace the designs. "To wear this uniform is to carry with you the testimony, passion and spirit of an entire country. It's a reminder that every time we take the field, we represent much more than football: we represent Mexico."
The launch has not been without controversy, however. Since its release, social media channels belonging to Someone Somewhere have attracted criticism from users questioning whether the artisans were fairly compensated for their work.
England
Nike, meanwhile, has unveiled a series of collaborations across multiple national teams. England’s off-pitch wardrobe comes via Nike and Palace Skateboards. The collection includes a varsity jacket bearing the Three Lions emblem and Palace branding across the front. The accompanying football shirt features Saint George slaying a dragon, while the campaign film stars former England footballer Wayne Rooney in an Elizabethan ruff reciting Shakespeare.
France
France’s prematch jersey is the result of a collaboration between Nike and Jacquemus. Referencing the national team’s nickname, Les Bleus, the shirt remains entirely blue, punctuated with white chalk stripes.
The Nike swoosh sits opposite the French cockerel emblem and flag detailing. Unusually, designer Simon Porte Jacquemus has also personally fronted the campaign, posting images of himself wearing the shirt.
South Korea
South Korea’s collaboration sees Nike partner with Peaceminusone, the label founded by K-pop star G-Dragon.
The collection includes a black prematch T-shirt featuring the brand’s signature daisy motif, with petals tipped in red and blue in homage to the Taegukgi, South Korea’s national flag.
Other Nike collaborations
Elsewhere, Nike has collaborated with the Virgil Abloh Archive on the Nike Cryoshot for the World Cup. Aimed more at supporters than players, the design incorporates Abloh’s signature red zip tie and quotation-mark typography. Additional pieces are rumoured to be in development.
Rapper Travis Scott has also joined the tournament’s fashion ecosystem through Nike, designing a bronze World Cup football under his Cactus Jack label, alongside lime-green Cactus Jack x Nike Phantom 6 Low Elite boots.
Why fashion brands are chasing football
Major sporting tournaments increasingly serve as global shop windows for fashion brands seeking new audiences while maintaining cultural relevance.
Football remains the world’s most watched sport, with an estimated 3.5 billion fans globally. The Qatar World Cup in 2022 drew more than five billion viewers, while six billion are expected to tune in to this summer’s tournament.
Luxury houses have increasingly expanded their presence in major sporting events, from the recent Olympic Games in Paris and Milan to Formula One and tennis. Dressing national teams has become a powerful branding opportunity – offering visibility not just to athletes, but to millions watching around the world.
With the World Cup still weeks away, more fashion-sport tie-ups are likely to emerge before kick-off.
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