Inspired by a certain Mr Tom Perkins doing the National Anthem World Cup, I decided to turn my hand to a similarly themed knockout tournament by looking at the kits of each team and ranking them by group, and forming a competition around the kits. Early favourites include France, Holland, and Brazil's efforts put forward by Nike, but we'll see as the tournament progresses.
Group A:
Brazil: Produced by Nike, this offering is the classic yellow with green trim that we have come to expect. Very smart and clean cut, the green collar looks great on the players. I'm marginally less impressed with the blue away kit, but the dark green alternate kit really pleases me. The kit's colour contrasts beautifully with the Brazilian crest, and would look great on the pitch. Unfortunately, Brazil will probably only wear yellow or blue.
Croatia: It's hard to extol the virtues of a kit that looks even more like a tablecloth than Man Utd's 2012/13 home kit, but I'm gonna have to give it a go, aren't I? Well, the plain red sleeves on the home kit are a nice change from previous versions, and the way the numbers fit perfectly into a 4 square section is appealing to the eye. The white shorts, blue socks combo also works really well with the red on the shirt. As for the away kit, the checked trim is surprisingly nice, and the red collar also looks good against the all-blue kit. Not much bad to say about the away kit, but the home kit leaves a lot to be desired. I realise it's a traditional design, but please, Croatia, stop.
Mexico: A really poor effort from the Mexican FA and Adidas here. The striped green below the crest doesn't look good at all, and the electric look of the red and white across the chest would probably look better if it were solid colour. The green above the crest would be more appealing as a block colour all over, but overall this is a terrible showing from Mexico. The away kit isn't much better, with a reddy-orange shade covering the majority of the kit, and black stripey mountains ranging across the chest. Terrible. I think we can safely say that Mexico won't be progressing in this tournament.
Cameroon: A typically Cameroonian approach from the African giants, the tribal patterns on the kits are surprisingly pleasing to the eye, and from what I saw against Mexico the other day, the yellow tribal patterns don't show that much on the pitch, so this kit is actually pretty nice and will battle it out with the Croatian kit for a place in the last 16.
Group B:
Spain: Another classic look for Spain's home kit is hard to bash, although the red could be slightly lighter to give a more traditional look. That said, the away kit A) doesn't look very nice and B) is black, and will make the team sweat buckets. Realistically, not a great showing from the reigning World Champions.
Holland: A universally recognisable kit with regards to international football, the Dutch always provide great kits, normally in orange and blue. This year is no exception. The orange home kit is a brilliant look, and the subtlety of the badge really brings the shirt full circle. As for the away shirt, the blue look is good, although I would prefer the same colour throughout, rather than the change from blue to navy from the chest out to the shoulders. Overall, though, a great look for the Dutch this summer.
Chile: Two good looking kits representing Chile's charge through the competition, the contrasting collar on the home kit looks really nice, and the trim on both kits is appealing. The fact that the design is practically the same for both is, however, a little disappointing.
Australia: Another classic home kit, Australia's green and gold is traditional for all their sports teams, and this offering is no exception. The collar sets it apart from the Brazil kit. The away kit is also nice, with a nice colour combo between the deep blue representing the sea, and the gold representing the outback. A good combination from the Aussies rounds off a very strong Group B.
Round of 16 Matches:
Brazil v Australia
Holland v Croatia
Brazil: Produced by Nike, this offering is the classic yellow with green trim that we have come to expect. Very smart and clean cut, the green collar looks great on the players. I'm marginally less impressed with the blue away kit, but the dark green alternate kit really pleases me. The kit's colour contrasts beautifully with the Brazilian crest, and would look great on the pitch. Unfortunately, Brazil will probably only wear yellow or blue.
Croatia: It's hard to extol the virtues of a kit that looks even more like a tablecloth than Man Utd's 2012/13 home kit, but I'm gonna have to give it a go, aren't I? Well, the plain red sleeves on the home kit are a nice change from previous versions, and the way the numbers fit perfectly into a 4 square section is appealing to the eye. The white shorts, blue socks combo also works really well with the red on the shirt. As for the away kit, the checked trim is surprisingly nice, and the red collar also looks good against the all-blue kit. Not much bad to say about the away kit, but the home kit leaves a lot to be desired. I realise it's a traditional design, but please, Croatia, stop.
Mexico: A really poor effort from the Mexican FA and Adidas here. The striped green below the crest doesn't look good at all, and the electric look of the red and white across the chest would probably look better if it were solid colour. The green above the crest would be more appealing as a block colour all over, but overall this is a terrible showing from Mexico. The away kit isn't much better, with a reddy-orange shade covering the majority of the kit, and black stripey mountains ranging across the chest. Terrible. I think we can safely say that Mexico won't be progressing in this tournament.
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