10. Belgium away
Who knew a white football shirt could be this beautiful?
Inspired by fireworks, Belgium's away top this year is pure white with technicolour flourishes all over. The badge and the swoosh are multicoloured, as are the panels down the sides, while the three stripes on the shoulders are a cool blue. It's an absolute masterpiece, like nothing we've seen from them in recent times and more than makes up for the flame-sleeved home top.
9. England away
Red went on a bit of a hiatus for England's men's team at least, following a 2018 World Cup where the Three Lions wore it for a successful penalty shootout among other moments.
The royal blue of Euro 2020 was a bit marmite and actually didn't get a run-out during the tournament – so this new away colour has been welcomed like an old friend. It certainly feels familiar too, drawing influence from the 1990 away top with its thick collar and 1996 with its light blue. The detailing on this one is exquisite, from the '3 Lions' motif on the back of the collar to the pattern on the collar itself, while the colour scheme feels genuinely new for a change strip. Another classic? It is for us.
8. Japan away
Japan have had some of the most beautiful home shirts we can remember but the away colours have always been a plain white to balance out those lush first-choice threads.
Well, this one introduces a pattern as grand as some of those home shirts. Adidas have concocted an origami-like graphic for both the home and away jerseys in 2022, with the away shirt blending these shapes. It looks like you're viewing the top through 3D glasses and it's immensely cool without being too over-the-top. Superb work.
7. Wales away
Inspired by classic Welsh shirts of yesteryear, this is the first top on our countdown that averaged a score of 8/10 from our panel: high praise indeed.
After the Australia-like away of Euro 2020, this one is steeped in the valleys of Cymru, combining white with green and red for something that feels fresh and new while nodding towards the past. That zigzag pattern down the sides on the collar is a particularly nice addition, too. Bravo, Adidas.
6. Denmark away
There has never been a World Cup shirt quite like this.
Hummel are protesting the human rights record of Qatar with all three of their shirts at the 2022 World Cup, stripping them of logos and embellishments in favour for blankness to make a point. We love a whiteout shirt at FFT either way but this one is particularly cool, lifting the patterning from 1992's Euro tops to celebrate 30 years since that win. This is so much more than a plain white t-shirt.
5. Mexico home
Mexico's green home shirt has had a holiday. The last two that El Tri have donned have been black with stunning Aztec-inspired patterns across the base.
This one is a return to familiarity and one of the nicest shirts that Mexico have ever worn. An eagle-style pattern adorns the top half of the shirt, reflecting the fantastic new badge, while red is chosen as the secondary colour to give this one an extra touch of grandeur. Mexico are always one to look out for in the shirt stakes but they've raised the bar again, here.
4. Denmark third
“While we support the Danish national team all the way, this shouldn’t be confused with support for a tournament that has cost thousands of people their lives,” Hummel announced when they released all three of Denmark's World Cup shirts.
That's why there are three, for a start. Along with the traditional red home jersey and white away, there's a third option. According to the manufacturer, it's black to mourn the migrant workers who died building stadiums for the tournament.
It's both a poignant piece of kit and something beautifully made in design.
3. Germany home
Ajax don't do Germany shirts – but if they did, they would probably look like this.
Adidas have delivered yet again for Deutschland, introducing a single, black central column to the German home shirt and embellishing everything in gold. It looks monarchal: it's stripped back and though it's hard to do something different with plain, boring, white shirts, Adi have revolutionised a classic look once more.
The Germans just know how to do everything efficiently. Apparently, that extends to releasing the most incredibly consistent football shirts on the planet.
2. Denmark home
Naturally, our esteemed kit-pickers voted the home shirt Denmark's nicest of the lot.
The red-out effort to complete the set means that all three of the Danes' jerseys rank in our top six – and that's all of Hummel's shirts, too. The subtlety is stunning, the message admirable and to tie everything together with the nation's most successful shirt ever, 30 years after it was first worn, is a lovely touch.
There's no beating it. Well, almost.
1. Japan home
FourFourTwo first got a glimpse of Adidas's World Cup shirts over the summer. The Japan home strip was one that immediately stood out for its flecks and patterns, looking just as exciting as the famed 'Great Wave' shirt that it replaced.
Months have passed and if anything, this glorious shirt is growing in stature. Whether those patterned shapes are supposed to represent cranes or the movement of Daichi Kamada is irrelevant: the jersey almost shimmers and flutters when you see it move.
20 years after the World Cup arrived on Japanese shores, the Blue Samarai may just have stolen the show once more – only this time for their dress sense. It's a true work of art that our six scorers marked at over 9/10 on average. Superb work on this one, Adidas.
