World Cup
WORLD CUP ATTIRES OF NOTABLE TEAMS LEAKED AHEAD OF OFFICIAL UNVEILING
Twenty three of the expected 32 teams for next year’s World Cup are already confirmed. Next week, the remaining nine will emerge. Traditionally, the World Cup offers country the opportunity to unveil new football kits as the competition is also a platform for major kit manufacturers to showcase their creativity.
Traditionally, the most prominent kit manufacturer, the Germany based Adidas, displays kits of its teams at the World Cup draw, latching on the partnership it has with FIFA. Others, notably Puma, Nike, and Umbro among other s will be having their kitted teams attires unveiled later.
Sports Village Square gathered that the Nigeria’s Super Eagles’ Nike kit for the World Cup will be launched in March 2018. But some other teams’ kits slated for earlier launch have leaked out. One of such is that of Argentina, the team Nigeria will face in a friendly duel in about two weeks time.
According to foot headlines, a publication specialist on kits, the Argentina 2018 World Cup home kit, made by Adidas, has been leaked. The new kit slated for unveiling when the team meet Russia next week Friday in a friendly match, draws inspiration from the 1993 Copa America shirt, worn the last time Argentina won a major title.
As practically always, the Argentina 2018 shirt features white and sky blue stripes. This time around, the base of the Argentina home jersey is mostly white, with three blue stripes on the front and back being the only parts in that colour.
The collar of the Argentina 2018 kit is cut off at the front, inspired by the 1993 shirt which was on the Adidas Equipment line. The Adidas stripes are relegated to the shoulders of the Argentina 2018 home shirt, after they ran down along the sides on the previous design.
Besides the rather old school design, the Argentina 2018 home kit (or at least the authentic version) stands out as one of Adidas’ first football kits to feature the Climachill technology. Black shorts and socks complete the Argentina 2018 World Cup home kit.
Also leaked is that of World Cup holders, Germany. The new kit slated for release this November draws inspiration from the team’s most iconic shirt design of all time. The away set of kits is slated to be unveiled in March.
The home shirt is predominantly white and reinterprets the iconic 1990 top in a modern way. Instead of featuring the colours of the German flag, the graphic design across the upper front of the Germany 2018 home shirt features shades of grey and black those are created using differently sized black lines.
The chest band is also reverted and moved higher up the shirt compared to the 1990 top, with the front numbers appearing cantered just below the shape. The overlap collar of the Germany 2018 World Cup home kit is a direct copy of the one used on the original shirt.
Although the Nike kits of England are expected to be unveiled on March 23 next year when the team faces Netherlands in a friendly match, the attire is already also leaked out.
After 2016’s England national team jerseys were rather simple and not too personalized, the 2018 World Cup England home kit will feature a bespoke graphic print on the front. The England 2018 away jersey will be red and white, with a different print on the front.
The ice blue sleeves of the previous England kit are dropped – we expect them to be simply white or white with a subtle knit pattern. Template-wise, the England 2018 home jersey will be based on the latest iteration of the Nike Vapor template, which brings new and personalized knits and prints on the body and redesigned sleeves to top it off. Those will still have a raglan cut, but no further details beyond that are certain right now.
With just a year to go until the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off in the United States, concerns are mounting over the impact of extreme summer heat on players and fans.
According to experts interviewed by the BBC, FIFA may be forced to adjust match schedules drastically—possibly even staging the World Cup final as early as 9 a.m.—to mitigate the risks posed by soaring temperatures.
The warnings follow sweltering conditions witnessed during recent international and Club World Cup matches held in the U.S., where athletes and spectators alike were exposed to intense heat and humidity.
One of the leading voices raising the alarm is Professor Mike Tipton, an expert in thermal physiology at the University of Portsmouth. Speaking to BBC Sport, he emphasised the potential health risks of playing in extreme conditions and recommended that matches begin as early in the day as possible.
“From a thermo-physiological point of view, for health and performance reasons, I would look to start matches as early as possible,” Tipton stated, suggesting that even the final—traditionally held in the afternoon or evening—could be moved to a morning kickoff.
Tipton went further, noting that the ideal solution would be to host the tournament during a cooler time of year, as was done with the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which was shifted to November and December due to extreme heat.
However, with the 2026 tournament already locked in for June 11 to July 19, FIFA’s only remaining flexibility lies in scheduling match times.
The 2026 edition will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico across multiple cities, some of which are known for intense summer heat.
Health experts are urging organisers to prioritise player safety and fan well-being, warning that failing to act could lead to performance issues, heat-related illnesses, or worse.
FIFA has yet to publicly comment on any proposed changes to match schedules, but as temperatures continue to rise, pressure is mounting for the governing body to take decisive action ahead of football’s biggest tournament.
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FIFA’s Global Football Development chief Arsene Wenger acknowledged that the quality of pitches hosting Club World Cup matches in the U.S. was not good enough, but insisted it would be better when the country co-hosts the 2026 World Cup.
The pitches, often very dry and sprinkled with water during cooling breaks or at halftime, have been widely criticised, mainly by coaches and players of the European teams taking part.
“I’ve been personally on the pitch at Orlando,” former Arsenal manager Wenger said on Saturday. “It’s not at the level that the European clubs are used to because it’s not perfect, but that will be rectified for the World Cup next year.”
Paris St Germain coach Luis Enrique raised the issue early in the expanded Club World Cup tournament.
“The ball bounces like a rabbit,” Luis Enrique said after his team’s opening 4-0 win over Atletico Madrid.
“Today, for example, the field used to be artificial turf, and now it’s natural grass laid over it, which means it has to be watered manually. It’s a big problem for the way we play.”
“FIFA really needs to take this seriously. Not just the stadium fields but also the training pitches. If we’re calling this the best club tournament in the world, it should have world‑class facilities. I can’t imagine an NBA game played on a court full of holes.”
-Reuters
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Congo will be allowed to continue participating in the World Cup qualifiers despite missing two fixtures in March when they were banned, world football’s governing body FIFA said on Wednesday.
Congo were suspended from February to May because of government interference in the running of their football association (FECOFOOT) but the ban was lifted when officials returned to their positions and were handed back access to their headquarters and technical training centre.
Sports minister Hugues Ngouelondele had appointed an ad-hoc committee last year to run the association, claiming it needed to sort out disputes among association office bearers, but FIFA suspended FECOFOOT due to third-party interference, which violates its statutes.
During the ban, Congo were not allowed to participate in any international competition, which meant they did not honour 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Tanzania and Niger in March.
A FIFA spokesman told Reuters the points from those fixtures were forfeited and a 3-0 victory awarded to their opponents.
But they will continue in the qualifiers when they resume in September, even if they have no chance of qualifying.
Congo are scheduled to play Tanzania at home in September and conclude their fixtures in October with matches at Niger and Morocco.
Congo have no points in the group, which Morocco lead with 15 points, six more than Tanzania in second place.
The group winner qualifies for next year’s World Cup in North America while the runner-up has a possibility to participate in playoffs if they are among the four best second-placed teams in the nine African qualifying groups.
FIFA has taken a hard line on government interference in football matters with the likes of Chad, Kenya, Pakistan and Zimbabwe among those banned in recent years.
Congo were African champions in 1972 but have never been to a World Cup.
-Reuters
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