With the new squad being announced for the 2022 World Cup and with the brand and federation having been in partnership for over 25 years now, we decided to take a look back at every Nike x Brazil World Cup kit, from 1998 right up to 2022.
Brazil is the world's most successful footballing country and the team's golden yellow shirts are nothing short of iconic, and in the modern era they have been intrinsically linked to Nike; few partnerships can boast the longevity of Nike x Brazil, and fewer still can boast its iconic nature. From kits to ad campaigns, trophy lifts to Joga Bonito, the Selecao have spent the last 25 years impressing both on and off the pitch (for the most part anyway – let’s not mention 2014 at the moment), and they’ve done so with the backing of house Swoosh.
That two and a half decades has taken in seven World Cup tournaments (we’re counting the upcoming 2022 rendition), and that means 14 separate kits have been produced, and we’re taking a look at them all here, starting back in ’98…
1998
The partnership between Nike and Brazil started in 1996, and the first kits were produced for the Copa America in 1997, and they were quickly followed up by the World Cup kits for France '98. Gone was the collar that had been present for the last five versions, presenting a more modern, streamlined look that fit perfectly with the team at the time, spearheaded as it was by a young superstar who went by the name of Ronaldo. May not have ended the way they hoped, but Nike x Brazil had been announced to the world.
In contrast to the home shirt, the away shirt didn't actually feature for the whole tournament, the yellow home shirt never clashing, and as a result it only debuted in the following year's fixtures.
2002
This was prime time: the first World Cup of the new millennium, Ronaldo at the peak of his powers backed by a full roster of superstars including Ronaldinho and Roberto Carlos, Nike fully in its stride of completely reinventing football marketing, and Brazil, back on their perch and reigning supreme. Sure, the shirts were part of a template approach rolled out by the Swoosh, but for Brazil in bright yellow and green accents, it became iconic.
Meanwhile, that away shirt haunts the dreams of England fans who still wake in the early hours in cold sweats at the thought of Ronaldinho standing over a seemingly innocuous freekick...
2006
Not the greatest title defence in history – Brazil eliminated by a Zidane-inspired France in the Quarter Finals – and the home shirt deserved more. Nice execution of green accents on collar, cuffs and hem marked this one out.
Like '98, the away shirt was not used during the tournament. It was a rather uninspired design, opting for a plain blue base with white accents on collar and cuffs.
2010
Another tournament where Brazil bowed out at the Quarter Finals, this time to eventual runners up, the Netherlands. Felt a little bit like a transitional period for the squad, with the likes of Luís Fabiano, Maicon, Melo, Lúcio, and Kaká not quite able to hit the heights of Ronaldo, Ronaldinho et al. Not really a surprise though. For their attire, the home shirt borrowed a little from the '98 look, with a green stripe running down the sleeves from the green collar for what was a simple yet effective design.
The away shirt was a little more adventurous, with a yellow dot graphic across the front lending it a little more depth.
2014
Brazil played their first World Cup on home soil since the 1950 World Cup, and for the occasion, Nike dressed out the players in a tidy home number that saw a bespoke collar execution paired with some heat-sealed ventilation holes to the sides. The fact this was worn for the Mineirazo – a crushing semi-final defeat to Germany and quite possibly the lowest point in Brazilian football history – may detract from what is otherwise a smart look.
The away shirt features a nice sublimated stripe graphic on the front, combining two shades of blue to good effect.
2018
A subtle switch up to 2014, with a tried and trusted design for the home not showing off anything to adventurous. It was yet another campaign that ended at the Quarter Final stage, this time a Kevin De Bruyne-led Belgium seeing off the Selecao. Somewhat uninspired, just like the home shirt.
The away was again a little more expressive in its design, with a sublimated geometric pattern of stars playing out across teh blue base.
2022
For the upcoming World Cup, Nike have really let the shackles off. The home shirt sees a sublimated all-over jaguar print, while even the placket gets in on the beauty of the design, recreating the national flag.
And the away shirt is no less amazing; it again sees the jaguar print in use, though this time it's far more visual, popping on the sleeves for a contrast to the blue base that's even more impressive under the lights.
The best of the lot? Quite possibly, but how these two shirts are viewed will ultimately come down to how the side performs in Qatar.
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