Two small design choices on the Adidas 2026 World Cup Trefoil away kits are worth a closer look. Thanks to Gary Walker @g4ryw4lker and designer Final Third Creative (@finalthirdco) for making us aware.
Adidas 2026 World Cup Kits Feature Large Collars & Vertical Front Seam
The Adidas 2026 World Cup away kits have oversized collars, which are a direct lift from 1980s Adidas football shirts - an era when generous, structured collars were standard across the game. Adidas has leaned into that reference deliberately here rather than modernising it, and the result feels authentically vintage rather than costume-y.
Adidas 2026 World Cup Away Kits - Oversized Collar
Adidas 2026 World Cup Away Kits - Crease Down on Shorts
Then there are the shorts. Eagle-eyed kit nerds will have spotted a prominent vertical front seam running down each leg - a tailoring detail not seen on modern football shorts. It reads as an intentional nod to old-school tailored sportswear, where structured creases were common before the era of lightweight, seamless performance fabrics took over.
Neither detail is loud, but together they reinforce what the Trefoil line is going for: a coherent retro aesthetic built from specific, considered references rather than a vague "throwback" feel.
FULL LEAK: Adidas 2026 World Cup Away Kits - Trefoil Logo - Coming 20 March
Which retro detail do you appreciate more - the collars or the shorts? Let us know in the comments.