Eight worst World Cup kits of all time after fans slate Puma's atrocities for Qatar 2022

World Cup competition has showcased the sublime best and repulsive worst of kit designs down the years - from Cameroon's dig at FIFA to Switzerland's 'save the date' threads

Rhys Daly Senior Sports Reporter

12:15, 30 Aug 2022

Yes - this kit was worn at an actual World Cup(Image: Getty Images)

From Cameroon's 2002 dig at FIFA to Switzerland's 'save the date' threads for the upcoming World Cup - football's premier tournament has showcased some of the worst attire in sporting history.

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Across the 22 editions of the global showpiece the likes of Adidas, Nike and Puma among others have often pushed the boat out in terms of revolutionary design.

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More often than not, the most outlandish styles have led to subsequent backlash - and with the latest batch getting more stick than praise Daily Star Sport has taken a look at eight of the worst creations yet.

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Russia - 1994

Russia's away strip at the 1994 World Cup in the United States might well have been mistaken for Croatia thanks to the bizarre red and white trim attached to the sleeves.

Ukranian born Russian footballer Sergei Yuran (#22) pictured in action playing for Russia in the 1994 FIFA World Cup group B match between Brazil and Russia at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto, California on 20th June 1994. Brazil would go on to win the match 2-0.

Russia's 1994 World Cup away kit had shades of Croatia(Image: Getty Images)

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The baffling Reebok number was worn during their 2-0 defeat to Russia in San Francisco, contributing to their group stage exit despite smashing Cameroon 6-1.

More recent Russia kits have stuck with a plain red design for the home offering and white for the away number, but neither will be on show in Qatar.

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Mexico - 1994

Although Mexico's home and away kits at the 1994 World Cup were different from their usual designs and featured underlying patterns - the goalkeeper strip stole the headlines.

5 JULY 1994: JORGE CAMPOS OF MEXICO TURNS AWAY WITH THE AGONY OF DEFEAT AGAINST BULGARIA IN THE PENALTY SHOOT OUT DURING THE SECOND ROUND 1994 WORLD CUP MATCH BETWEEN BULGARIA AND MEXICO AT GIANTS STADIUM IN EAST RUTHERFORD NEW JERSEY

Jorge Campos wore the most eye-catching kit in World Cup history back in 1994(Image: Getty Images)

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Which is the worst football kit you have ever seen? Tell us in the comments section below.

Mexico's goalkeeper Jorge Campos wore one of the most eye-catchingly repulsive strips during their fixture against Italy, Norway, Bulgaria and the Republic of Ireland.

It featured neon triangles and was as baggy as shirts come - with Mexico going on to lose to Bulgaria in the round of 16 who went on to reach the semi-finals.

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Germany - 1994

A third and final offering from the 1994 World Cup comes in the form of Germany, who were knocked out by Bulgaria during the quarter-final stages.

1994 World Cup Finals, Chicago, USA, 17th June, 1994, Germany 1 v Bolivia 0, Stefan Effenburg, Germany

Germany were desperate to incorporate their flag into their 1994 kit(Image: Getty Images)

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The reigning champions wore a bizarre home kit that included a green, red and black pattern that ran up the chest and around the neck with a strange collar.

The design also meant the DFB badge and Adidas logo were lower than they would be usually, making for a kit that won't be rushed back to for a retro campaign.

Japan - 1998

Another goalkeeper kit this time, in the form of Japan's 1998 design that was worn by Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi against Argentina, Croatia and Jamaica.

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World Cup Finals, 1998, Toulouse, France, 14th June, 1998, Argentina 1 v Japan 0, Japan's goalkeeper Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi

Japan's goalkeeper Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi had to wear this bold design in 1998(Image: Getty Images)

Somewhat reminiscent of a fire patterned shirt that might be seen in a school disco, Kawaguchi's black shirt with the orange and yellow trim was not at all pleasing on the eye.

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A similar green number was also worn in Japan's successful qualification campaign - but didn't bring them any further good luck as they crashed out at the group stage.

Cameroon - 2002

Cameroon entered a war with FIFA back in 2002 after wearing a truly revolutionary kit in their 2002 African Cup of Nations triumph.

Credit: POPPERFOTO/JOHN MCDERMOTT, Football, 2002 FIFA World Cup Finals, Group E, Shizuoka, Japan, 11th June 2002, Germany 2 v Cameroon 0, The Cameroon team pose together for a group photograph prior to the match

Cameroon entered a war with FIFA back in 2002 - adapting their vest design(Image: Getty Images)

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The kit, which had no sleeves, was unfortunately not permitted to be worn in the subsequent World Cup in South Korea and Japan - so they wore black t-shirts underneath.

Although the kit did provide a big talking point, the final design looked like two separate ideas stitched together - which is exactly what it was.

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Italy - 2006

Although Italy's home blue kit is now an iconic piece of their football history having gone on to beat France on penalties in the final - their goalkeeper kit was rather peculiar.

BERLIN - JULY 9: Goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon of Italy celebrates his team's first goal during the FIFA World Cup Germany 2006 Final match between Italy and France at the Olympic Stadium on July 9, 2006 in Berlin, Germany.

Gianluigi Buffon wore gold for Italy in 2006 - with a strange low collar(Image: Getty Images)

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Gianluigi Buffon was made to wear a gold number which had blue trim over the armpits - and a dipped collar that had a white vest-type covering.

The strange kit didn't effect their chances of glory though, with Buffon helping his side to a historic victory despite not needing to make a shoot-out save.

South Africa - 1998

South Africa return to the World Cup in 2010 eight years after back-to-back appearances came to an end in France - but didn't make it out of the group.

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1998 World Cup Finals, Marseille, France, 12th JUNE 1998, France 3 v South Africa 0, South Africa's Benedict McCarthy

Kappa might well have been told to make a South Africa rugby strip in 1998(Image: Getty Images)

Featuring in their three fixtures, which included defeat to France and draws with Denmark and Saudi Arabia, Bafana Bafana wore a puzzling home strip.

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Kappa's inspired rugby design had both yellow and black horizontal stripes across a white shirt, which had a green collar - that was accompanied by green and black shorts with white socks.

Switzerland - 2022

That brings us to the kit that will be worn by Switzerland at the upcoming World Cup in Qatar, which somehow resembles the iPhone calendar app.

Puma have received a huge backlash over the outlandish kit design(Image: Instagram @pumafootball)

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Puma have gone with a template design that features player numbers in large boxes on the front and received a huge backlash on social media.

One Twitter user wrote: "Fair play to Puma for coming out with the worst crop of shirts the World Cup has ever seen."

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