Famous teams that play in blue

Blue is the colour of the sky and the sea. It is often said to transmit serenity and stability.

A calming colour, blue is also often associated with reliability. And in football terms, it is worn by some top teams at both club and international level.

Along with red and white, blue is the most common colour on football shirts, often appearing in hooped, striped or patterned jerseys.

But here is a look at some of the most famous teams that wear predominantly blue...

32. Empoli

Founded in 1920 in a provincial town situated 30 kilometres southwest of Florence, Empoli have worked their way up from the lower divisions to compete in Serie A in recent years.

Empoli play in azure blue shirts, shorts and socks and like the Italian national team, the club is nicknamed the Azzurri.

31. Hoffenheim

Originally founded in 1899 as a gymnastics club, modern-day Hoffenheim were created in 1945 and have worked their way up from Germany's fifth division since 2000.

That is thanks to the significant investment and financial backing of software mogul Dietmar Hopp. Hoffenheim play in blue shirts, blue shorts and blue socks.

30. Universidad de Chile

Universidad de Chile were founded in 1927 and are one of Chile's biggest and most successful teams.

Based in the capital Santiago, la U have used an all-blue kit since 1959, except for a few seasons in the early 2000s when red sleeves were incorporated. Between 1943 and 1959, the team wore white shorts. One of the club's nicknames is Los Azules (the Blues).

29. Millonarios

One of Colombia's biggest and most successful teams, Millonarios were founded in 1937 and initially wore white shirts with black shorts.

But the Bogota outfit have mostly worn blue and white in their home strip since 1939. Nicknames include Los Azules (the Blues), El Ballet Azul (the Blue Ballet) and Los Albiazules (the Blue-Whites).

28. Ipswich Town

Ipswich Town won the English First Division title in 1962, the FA Cup in 1978 and the UEFA Cup in 1981. More recently, the Tractor Boys won promotion to the Premier League by beating Huddersfield Town in the play-off final in May 2024.

The Suffolk club play in blue shirts with white shorts and blue socks and are sometimes referred to as the Blues. Founded in 1878, the team's first-ever registered colours were blue and white striped shirts with black shorts.

27. Slovakia

Slovakia secured a 1-1 draw against Romania in their final group game at Euro 2024 to advance to the knockout stages of the tournament for a second time.

Following the break-up of Czechoslovakia in the early 1990s, the Slovak side wore blue but changed to white shirts a few years later, eventually reverting back to an all-blue kit in 2020.

26. Portsmouth

Champions of England's old First Division in 1949 and 1950, Portsmouth are also two-time FA Cup winners – in 1939 and 2008.

The south coast club was founded in 1898 and wore salmon pinks shirts initially, before changing to azure blue in 1912 and to their current royal blue strip in 1933.

25. Getafe

Officially founded in 1983, Getafe CF is a football club based in the city of the same name, located in the Community of Madrid.

A previous club, Sociedad Getafe Deportivo, had existed unti 1933. Later, Club Getafe Deportivo was formed in 1946 and that team wore all blue. One theory is that the colour choice was homage to the workers, who wore blue overalls. Another suggests it is to reflect the colour of the cloak of Getafe's patron saint, the Virgen de los Andes. Either way, Getafe are known today as the Azulones (the Deep Blues).

24. Genk

Genk were only formed in 1988, but had already won four Belgian championships by 2019 and five domestic cups by 2021.

Often referred to as the Blauw-Wit (Blue-White) and sometimes De Smurfen (the Smurfs), Genk play in blue shirts and white shorts, with those colours reversed in their changed strip.

23. Iceland

With a popuation of around 335,000 in 2016, Iceland stunned England by knocking the Three Lions out of Euro 2016 in France.

Beaten by France in the quarter-finals, Iceland went on to qualify for their first World Cup two years later. The team's home strip is all blue, with the away version white. 

22. Cruzeiro

Founded in 1921 but not known under its current name until 1943, Cruzeiro chose blue and white in a nod to the club's Italian roots and fanbase.

For a period of nine years from 1950, the Belo Horizonte-based club wore white shirts due to poor lighting in their stadium, but reverted to blue jerseys after that. Cruzeiro won the Copa Libertadores in 1976 and 1997.

21. Celta Vigo

Celta Vigo play in sky blue shirts and white shorts and the Galician club is nicknamed Os/Los Celestes (the Light Blues).

Founded in 1923, Celta initially wore red shirts, black shorts and blue shorts, but the strip was later changed to reflect the colours of the Galician flag.

20. Zenit St. Petersburg

Zenit St. Petersburg were founded in 1925, but the club name was not registered until 1936. And the blue shirts came later.

Previously named Stalinets, the team wore a variety of different colours due to the shortage of kit supplies in the Soviet Union. Light blue and white were chosen as the club's official colours in the 1970s, with a darker blue added to sleeves and socks in 2023.

19. Dinamo Zagreb

Founded in 1911, Dinamo Zagreb are far and away Croatia's biggest and most successful club.

Dinamo traditionally play in royal blue shirts, shorts and socks, usually with some white trim. In more recent times, the club has sometimes worn a darker, navy blue kit in European competition.

18. Scotland

Scotland wear dark blue shirts, sometimes with white shorts, having kept the colours of the Queen's Park team which played the very first international match against England in 1872.

It is said that England also wanted to wear blue, but were forced into a late change to white in order to avoid a colour clash and then stuck with the kit.

17. Schalke

Schalke won seven German championships between 1934 and 1958 and are one of the nation's most successful clubs.

A multi-sports club based in Gelsenkirchen, Schalke were founded in 1904 and adopted their famous colours 20 years later. Known as Die Königsblauen (the Royal Blues), the club's home strip features royal blue shirts and white shorts.

16. Japan

Japan's football team is known as the Samurai Blue and plays in dark blue shirts and socks, with white shorts.

The Asian nation wears blue and not red, which features on the Japanese flag, due to superstition. Japan have worn red kits in the past, but those were scrapped after poor performances at the 1990 World Cup and 1992 Olympics, with predominantly blue shirts brought in and used ever since.

15. Cruz Azul

One of Mexico's biggest and most successful clubs, Cruz Azul were founded in 1927 by a cement company – Cemento Cruz Azul.

Naturally, the Mexico City club adopted the company colours and success in the 1980s gave birth to the nickname La Máquina Celeste (the Blue Machine). Until 2018, Cruz Azul's stadium was named El Estadio Azul, but has since been rebranded.

14. Sampdoria

Serie A winners in 1991 and European Cup finalists the following year, Sampdoria also won four Coppa Italia crowns, a European Cup Winners' Cup and a European Super Cup in a successful spell in the 1980s and early 1990s.

Sampdoria were founded in Genoa in 1946. The club's home kit is predominantly blue, with white, red and black circles across the front. Samp are often referred to as the Blucerchiati (the Blue-circled).

13. Birmingham City

Birmingham City were founded in 1875 and have worn blue shirts for their entire history – albeit with some variations over the years.

The club's first shirt was dark blue with a white sash. A number of different designs were used in the years after that, but Birmingham have played in royal blue shirts in their home matches since the late 1800s. The kit often features some white detail, but the club's identity is clear – Birmingham are known as the Blues.

12. Lazio

Founded in 1900, Lazio are two-time winners of Italy's Serie A – in 1974 and 2000.

The Rome-based club play in light blue shirts and white shorts, with those colours chosen to honour the national emblem of Greece (Lazio is a multi-sports club and the first Olympic Games took place in Athens). Nicknames include the Biancocelesti (the White and Sky Blues) and the Biancazzurri (the White and Blues).

11. Boca Juniors

Boca Juniors were founded in 1905 and first wore white shirts, but the Buenos Aires giants switched to their iconic blue and gold the following year.

It is said that, after a loss against Nottingham de Almagro in a match to decide which team would keep their colours, Boca decided to base their kit on the flag of the next ship to sail into the port of La Boca. The ship was Swedish, so Boca adopted the colours of the Swedish flag, initially with a diagonal band which was later changed to the current horizontal band.

10. Paris Saint-Germain

When you think of teams that play in blue, Paris Saint-Germain might not be one of the first that comes to mind and that's probably because PSG's home kit usually features some red and white.

But the Parisians play predominantly in dark blue for their home matches. Founded in 1970, PSG represent both the city of Paris and nearby town Saint-Germain-en-Laye. The red and blue are Parisian colours, a nod to revolutionary figures, while the white is a symbol of French royalty and also Saint-Germain-en-Laye.

9. Leicester City

Founded in 1884, Leicester City first used black shirts with a light blue sash, but the club have mainly worn royal blue shirts in their home matches since the early 1900s.

The 2015/16 Premier League winners either play in all blue or use white shorts, occasionally with white socks. The Foxes won promotion back to the top flight in May 2024.

8. Rangers

Along with Glasgow rivals Celtic, Rangers have dominated Scottish football and the Ibrox outfit boast huge support all across the world.

Rangers play in royal blue shirts, white socks and red socks. But for almost 50 years after the club's foundation, the Gers wore lighter blue shirts. To this day, Rangers are often referred to as the Light Blues.

7. Uruguay

World Cup winners in 1930 and 1950 and two-time Olympic champions before that, Uruguay have punched above their weight on the football field – despite a population of less than 3.5 million.

Uruguay's national team has worn light blue shirts since 1910 and the team's nickname is La Celeste (the Sky Blue). The jersey is accompanied by black shorts and socks.

6. Manchester City

Manchester City have enjoyed huge success in recent times, culminating in their historic treble triumph in 2022/23.

Founded in 1880, City are said to have worn blue since 1892. The team is sometimes referred to as the Blues and more commonly as the Sky Blues. And the song Blue Moon, which was originally written in the 1930s, has been adopted by fans as a sort of unofficial club anthem.

5. Napoli

One of Italy's most famous and best-supported clubs, Napoli will forever be associated with Argentine great Diego Maradona.

Maradona led Napoli to two Serie A titles during his time at the club and the Azzurri (the Blues) had to wait until 2023 for another Scudetto win. A merger between Naples FBC and Internazionale Napoli gave birth to the club in 1922 and it was officially founded in 1926, taking the sky blue shirts from the former and the white shorts from the latter. Later made iconic by Maradona and others, those colours have remained every since.

4. Everton

If you're a football fan from the city of Liverpool, you are either a red or a blue. Liverpool FC are the Reds; Everton are the Blues.

After using several different kit colours in their early years, including salmon pink, ruby and even black, Everton settled on royal blue jerseys in 1901/02. That colour is still in use today, usually with white shorts and socks but sometimes in an all-blue design to avoid clashes.

3. France

World Cup winners for the first time in 1998 on home soil and again 20 years later in Russia, France reached the final again at Qatar 2022.

France kits usually incorporate the three colours of the French flag, the Tricolore – with blue shirts, white shorts and red socks. Quite often, though, the 1984 and 2000 European champions play in all blue. Les Bleus.

2. Chelsea

Blue is the colour, football is the game. Originally released in 1972, the song remains popular with Chelsea fans and is played at every home game.

The west London club's all-blue strip is instantly recognisable, but the Blues originally wore a lighter shade. Their current colour came in around 1912, with blue shorts brought in by former manager Tommy Docherty in 1960.

1. Italy

Italy's iconic blue shirt is one of the most famous in football and one of the most successful too, with four World Cup wins achieved in the colour – in 1934, 1938, 1982 and 2006.

There is no blue on the Italian flag, but the nation's sports sides wear the colour in honour of the House of Savoy, under whom Italy was unified in 1861. And their nickname is the Azzurri. It works.