Last Updated on April 21, 2026 by Wild Rise
National team shirts hold a whole other level of significance compared to football club jerseys. They only get worn at tournaments; they are associated with significant moments the whole nation will remember, and spectacular work in design can even make them icons representing the whole country as much as the sport itself. A very few of them even manage to go beyond being mere football kits and turn into real elements of culture.
However, considering the most iconic one is something that will always lead to quite a few disagreements, yet there are certain shirts that keep appearing in every discussion about the greatest jerseys ever made. Besides a few aspects such as – powerful design, great sequence of unforgettable moments, and the kind of “being in fashion” that allows these jerseys to keep being worn long after they first hit the football field – they certainly have a lot more in common.
In the lines that follow, you will see a selection of those shirts and the reasons for their continuing popularity.
Brazil’s Yellow and Green Classic
There is not a single football shirt in the world that is more famous than Brazil’s home kit. The bright yellow main body, the green collar and cuffs, and the blue shorts have, in fact, become shorthand for football itself in many parts of the world. Just by showing that shirt to someone without any further explanation, most people will immediately think of samba, sunshine, and the five World Cup trophies.
However, the color scheme itself is only a creation of 1953. Up until then, Brazil had been wearing white kits, but after the devastating defeat in the 1950 World Cup final against Uruguay at the Maracan, the football association organized a competition to change the kit. Aldyr Garcia Schlee, a 19-year-old newspaper illustrator from southern Brazil, was the winner with his design. The yellow and green that he chose for the shirt have since become one of the most famous color combinations in sports.
Of all the Brazilian kits, the one from 1970 is the most sought after by collectors. That team, featuring Pel Jairzinho Rivelino, and Carlos Alberto, is very often referred to as the greatest team in the history of football, and the old, grainy color footage of them playing so effortlessly in the yellow shirts during the tournament is etched in the football memory forever. The Adidas template from the 90s, the Nike versions from the early 2000s, and the more recent ones.
The Netherlands’ Total Football Orange
Only a handful of sports uniforms can boast such a distinct visual identity as the orange jersey of the Dutch national football team. The color has its origins in the House of Orange-Nassau, the royal family of the Netherlands, and it visually distinguishes the Dutch team totally from all other major football teams.
In particular, the 1974 version, which was won at the World Cup in West Germany, is the most famous one. Johan Cruyff, Johan Neeskens, Ruud Krol, and the rest of that team unveiled to the world Total Football – the method of play that was so smooth and flexible in terms of player positions that it revolutionized the game. They were defeated in the final against West Germany, but the football jersey worn and the football played by the team in it still became icons even in defeat.
It was a widely known fact that Cruyff sported the number 14 jersey with only two Adidas stripes on his sleeve instead of the normal three, because he had a separate endorsement contract with Puma. That small detail is enough to turn into a collector’s item that people are eager to get their hands on. The original Dutch jerseys of 1974 with the two-stripe sleeve feature are among the most expensive and sought-after international replicas on the vintage market.
Argentina’s Blue and White Stripes
Argentina’s home kit is as instantly identifiable as Brazil’s, featuring their famous vertical light blue and white stripes that have hardly changed in the last 100 years. The national colors are taken directly from the Argentine flag, so the national team literally represents the country on the field.
The players’ Argentine shirt from the 1986 World Cup in Mexico is the ultimate collector’s item for someone a lot of fans. The quarter-final with England, in which Maradona scored the controversial “Hand of God” goal and then displayed the finest solo goal in the history of the World Cup, took place in that shirt. The final match against West Germany, when Argentina clinched their second World Cup, was also played using that kit.
The 2022 shirt has now been added to the list. After Messi finally winning the World Cup in Qatar by scoring in the final against France and winning the trophy at the age of 35, there is a whole generation that has their version of the 1986 moment. So many people bought the 2022 Argentina shirt after the final that Adidas was really struggling to get enough supplies of it for several months.
Germany’s White Home Kit
Germany’s football kit has always been synonymous with a beautiful concept of minimalism due to its iconic nature being a result of pure and continual use. White torso, black trousers, black outlines, black eagle emblem. Despite undergoing countless changes over the years, this fundamental element has always remained present.
The 1990 edition of the shirt, sported by Lothar Matthus, Jrgen Klinsmann, and Andreas Brehme when West Germany clinched the World Cup in Italy, is the best-known one. The black, red, and gold diagonal band across the front -taken straight from the national flag -transformed what might have been a plain white jersey into one of the most visually appealing kits ever made. Adidas has brought back reprints of it time and again as collectors never stop demanding it.
The jersey worn during the 2014 World Cup victory has similar significance. Though the red chevron on the front was not as bold as the 1990s sash, Germany’s 7-1 dismantling of Brazil in the semis and Mario Götze’s goal in the extra-time against Argentina in the final immortalized it as a legendary one. Authentic match-era specimens of these two jerseys have become highly coveted items by serious collectors.
England’s 1966 Red Away Shirt
Among the least ‘expected’ kits to become such an overwhelming cultural icon that they actually surpass the main one, England’s red away shirt in the 1966 World Cup final is one of those. England, who wore the red colour, lifted the Jules Rimet Trophy after playing against West Germany who wore white.
The long-sleeve red round neck shirt made by Umbro, with hardly any design by today’s standards is what it was, no sponsor, no logo, no fuss -just a red shirt with a three lions crest. That very simplification is what gives it such power and presence. The reissues of the 1966 shirt are regularly sold out, especially around World Cup years or when England is going far in tournaments.
Another example is the blue 1990 Italia ’90 away shirt worn by the England team during their semi-final run, leaving the fans in tears, against West Germany on penalties, which has a strong and loyal following. Gazza’s tears and New Order’s “World in Motion” are all part of the package that comes with that jersey.
Italy’s Azzurri Blue
The Italian national team’s jersey color, sky blue, is yet another example of a color that alone carries most of the responsibility. Italy’s blue is derived from the Royal House of Savoy, and similar to the Netherlands’ orange, it makes Italy unarguably recognizable on the football pitch.
Paolo Rossi’s Italy’s 1982 World Cup jersey is not only one of the most spotless and best-loved football designs internationally but also has a great story to accompany it. The Italian team has since won the World Cup again in 2006, sporting a quite fresh Puma kit as it was Cannavaro who after the epic final against France in Berlin, raised the trophy.
If you want to browse current international kits and get yourself a football kit from any of these national teams, specialist retailers stock the current-season versions alongside retro reissues of the classics mentioned above.
What Makes a Shirt Iconic
The commonality among all these is quite simple. Excellent character, powerful colors linked to the country’s identity, and at least one iconic moment of the tournament remembered by entire generations. Those shirts that meet all three criteria become a part of football history that goes beyond the sport itself. And as long as new tournaments bring new legends, the list will continue to expand.
