As well as the official and replica versions, Nike have launched a third, less expensive version of Brazil's 2022 World Cup shirt, but it costs more than the previous price of a replica shirt.
Brazil 2022 World Cup Home & Away Kits Revealed
Nike Release "Supporter" Version of Brazil 2022 World Cup Shirt
With the release of the "supporter" Brazil shirt (above), there are now essentially three different tiers available, with varying materials, features and of course, prices. Authentic Nike jerseys are called "match" shirts, replicas are "stadium" shirts, and the third category are "supporter" shirts.
Nike Brazil match shirt
The match shirt is the most detailed, with its ventilated jaguar print weave pattern, rubberized logo applications, Dri-Fit ADV fabric technology and tight fit. The stadium shirt is similar but has embroidered logos, an unventilated weave pattern and a looser fit.
Nike Brazil stadium shirt.
The supporter shirt is a more vivid shade of yellow, has a simple green v neck collar as opposed to a button collar, plain cuffs and a differently textured jaguar print. The logo applications are heat pressed and the fabric is 100% cotton.
The supporter shirt is 66.67% more expensive than Brazil's last World Cup supporter shirt.
All three versions of the jersey have increased significantly in price since the last round of World Cup kits in 2018 (as outlined below in the graphic by mantosdofutebol.com) with the third tier shirt seeing the biggest jump. The 2022 supporter shirt actually costs more than the superior quality replica version did at the time of the last World Cup.
These are the prices charged by Nike in Brazil, converted from Brazilian Reais to Euro using the current exchange rate.
MantosDoFutebol also explains that the rise in price is disproportionately greater than the increase in minimum wage in Brazil over the same time period. The idea of the supporter shirt is to give fans an official product that is affordable, but the jacking up the price by two thirds defeats that purpose completely.
As worldwide inflation coupled with stagnant wages continue to cause a cost of living crisis, companies like Nike and Adidas - who are also raising the cost of their shirts - are still making healthy profits, while billions of people around the world are under increased financial pressure. Even pre-inflation, jerseys were very profitable for brands and very expensive for the consumer. Football shirts are a luxury item, and these latest price hikes are making them even more inaccessible to their target market.
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What do you think of these shirts and their inflated prices? Are Nike and Adidas beginning to price themselves out of the game? Comment below.