Nigeria’s bright, trippy uniform hit among fans

New York, June 12: Spain, your asymmetry is showing. Nigeria, you’re so bright I need shades! Croatia, Russia’s fresh out of Big Boy restaurants.

No worries, though, your party duds will be just the ticket once the World Cup gets underway June 14.

Those countries are among several of the more festive standouts in jerseys for the global soccer showcase, with loads of sentimental touches in the designs of the 32 teams.

With millions in exposure and retail sales at stake, the World Cup kits of 2018 can be categorised, generally speaking, like this: Team Plain, Team Retro and Team Cool Kid on the Pitch.

Or, in the case of Australia, gold with a riot of jagged lines on shoulders and sleeves of home jerseys. The algae green lines celebrate waves and the country’s proximity to various oceans and seas, said Nike football apparel senior design director Pete Hoppins. The away kit is all green with a diagonal slash of yellow and lighter green touches on the front, in tribute to Australia’s 2006 jerseys.

Soccer fans have been buzzing for weeks about Nigeria’s shirts, to the delight of supplier Nike but not so much among folks back home who consider the $85 price tag out of reach . The away shirts are a screeching bright green, white and black with trippy jagged edging on a chevron pattern that may just be the World Cup’s shining Rorschach moment, along with an ode to the country’s style and pop culture energy. The we-have-arrived look is a modern reinvention of Nigeria’s 1994 kits. — AP