For years, styles rooted in soccer history have been staples of contemporary menswear. Adidas Sambas? Check. Sweatsuits? Check. Stone Island? You better believe it.
The only issue was, few people were wearing the above because they loved the beautiful game. Those items just happen to also be really useful, good clothes. But gradually, that’s started to change. In recent years, the sport’s popularity in the US has surged, and with that, a new kind of hipster football fan has emerged—one who loves the sport as much as they love the fashion that surrounds it.
I’ll admit to being one of them. Indie mags like Mundial, one of my gateways into loving the game, published essays and memes about cult kits and obscure boots—not xG charts or tactics. For many, myself included, it was illuminating to read about a particular 1994 Nigeria jersey, or why a certain pair of Adidas Predators meant so much to people. I was further delighted when Palace Skateboards started flipping Umbro’s old England soccer team designs. At one point, Drake wore a pink Juventus shirt. The vintage shirts market on eBay took off—not just for collectors, but because the old jerseys looked great with otherwise regular outfits.
The clubs themselves took notice, too. Kit launches got more stylized: Japan’s official jersey last year was designed by Yohji Yamamoto. The year before, Jamaica were playing in a Wales Bonner-designed jersey. PSG now has an ongoing deal with Jordan brand. C.P. Company is the official lifestyle clothing supplier of Manchester City. Fontaines D.C. designed an Irish team’s jersey. I could go on. And even more recently, TikTok-led aesthetic trends like Blokecore showed everyone how easy it was—and how good it looked—to wear a soccer shirt under a leather jacket, and tucked into a pair of Levi’s.
And with the 2026 World Cup being hosted primarily by the United States next year, this train is only getting faster. Which means its high time we surveyed the landscape to bring you the best head-to-toe soccer gear out there right now, from indie darling team jerseys to swervy track pants and cleat-inspired kicks.
The Soccer Style Hit List
In This Guide
Jerseys and Shirts
Where else could we possibly start? No item in soccer defines a fan (or player) more than the shirt on their back, whether or not a name and squad number is on there too. For this reason, soccer tops are the first thing that labels like Martine Rose, Grace Wales Bonner, and Bode chose to tweak when it came their turn to freak the format. Below, six tops that’ll earn you approval from die-hards and casuals alike.
Martine Rose
Oversized Panelled Polo
Plenty of brands have taken lazy swings at the soccer trend, but Martine Rose’s sport-inspired pieces draw directly from her memories of 90s raves and soccer terrace culture. So when she reworks a kit, it just hits harder.
Bode
Recreation Polo
From the newly launched Bode Recreation line, which reimagines classic sportswear, comes this retro cotton polo inspired by a late-’70s soccer jersey.
Adidas x Wales Bonner
Terry Polo
Raised in South London around diehard Arsenal fans, and recently tasked to design Jamaica’s official kit, Grace Wales Bonner’s connection to the game also runs deep. This terry cloth polo nods to ’70s kits, but feels entirely new.
Athens Kallithea FC
Matchday Shirt
Athens Kallithea FC’s current kit is beloved not just because it looks incredible, but also because the front sponsor is a local art museum, rather than, say, a sketchy global betting site. It’s so popular that the club actually declined to make a new shirt this year, instead sticking with this.
Nike
Graphic Tee
A proper Y2K-era graphic tee, reissued just in time for Nike’s Total 90 revival (more on that below). The image—a massive ball steamrolling a car—comes from a 2004 campaign in Thailand, and still goes hard.
Umbro
Long-Sleeved Football Jersey
I’ve always felt that the long-sleeve soccer shirt is somehow more serious and stylish. Plus, it conjures images of Beckham at United and with England, and Henry at Arsenal in his prime. Thankfully, Umbro’s sportswear still taps into that energy.
Outerwear
If football is one of the things people most associate with England, another is surely its weather. Specifically, wild winds and year-round rain. So it stands to reason that windbreakers and rain jackets became another essential component of the soccer sartorial scene. From Stone Island to Umbro, some truly excellent technical wear has its roots in (or was at least made famous by) soccer fans taking shelter from one of many storms.
Puma
T7 Track Jacket
A practical track jacket has been a warm-up staple for decades. The T7, named for its 7cm side stripe, has been around since ‘67 and still hits with jeans and chinos as well as shorts and cleats.
Stone Island
Lightweight Waterproof Jacket
Stone Island has a long history in European soccer culture, initially embraced by UK crowds drawn to its top-tier quality, functionality, and distinct design. Nowadays, it’s even worn by manager Pep Guardiola, making Stoney the face of sophistication on the sidelines as well as chaos in the stands.
Umbro
Check Mask Anorak
Training gear meets terracewear meets Oasis’ Liam Gallagher. This anorak’s got it all: built-in balaclava, drawstring stand collar, and an Umbro diamond embroidered at the chest. Keeps you dry, keeps you cool.
Adidas x Brain Dead
Panelled Logo-Print Sweatshirt
Adidas loves to dig into its archive—and with a back catalog as deep as theirs, who can blame them? Their recent collaboration with Brain Dead unearthed a drill top that’s equal parts training ground and downtown cool.
Shoes
It’s called football, after all. The best cleats are so iconic, they’ve since been re-released with flat soles, just so that fans can display their love of the game off the field too. Then of course, there are the styles—from Air Maxes to Reebok Classics—that have always had a toehold in soccer culture.
Adidas
Messi Sambas
Originally made for icy pitches, Adidas has now sold over 35 million Sambas. (Yup.) If you’re looking to lean into the soccer roots of the staple shoe, consider this new colorway, where the gold lettering reads ‘Messi’ instead of ‘Samba’.
Nike
Air Max 97
People didn’t really know what to make of this style when it first debuted, but it quickly made an impression in Italy and became the unofficial uniform of off-duty Serie A footballers. Flashy, fast, unmistakably cool—they still go unbelievably hard.
Nike
Total 90s
In 2000, the Total 90s were a real soccer boot, cleats and all. Nike moved on, but the style remained in the hearts and minds of fans for 25 years. Now they’re back, with a swapped-in rubber sole for the street.
Reebok
Classics
Speaking of icons: The name’s Classic, Reebok Classic. These have long been a soccer terrace staple—timeless, clean, and just chunky enough. They go with everything, including a vintage kit or track jacket.
Shorts and Pants
This is where it gets really fun. Because the best soccer shorts also work as going-out shorts, gym shorts, and chilling-on-the-couch shorts. Light, loose, and typically without pockets, they’re as breezy as it gets. And in the cooler months, few casual trousers earn more aura points than some swishy soccer pants.
Scenes NY
Ribbon Shorts
Scenes began as a newsletter-turned-IG-page for soccer heads in the know. Now, it’s going all in on deep-cut apparel: The “Ribbon” shorts are a personal favourite—like a pair of Umbros reimagined by someone who has an eBay addiction and thinks a lot about inseams.
Adidas x Wales Bonner
Wide-Leg Drawstring Shorts
These wide-leg shorts feel more like something Tre Mann would wear on the court than something you’d see on the touchline, but that’s exactly the kind of distinctive twist that makes Wales Bonner so good.
Adidas
90s Football Shorts
These shorts hit the sweet spot between sport and streetwear—just as easy to throw on during a 5-a-side match as to wear while watching the Premier League on NBC on your couch at 7 a.m.
Kappa
222 Banda Shorts
Kappa’s legacy in soccer runs deep, and its lightweight shorts still carry an Italian sportswear swagger. Seriously, no brand pulls off a repeated side logo as well.
Puro
Maranza Track Pants
Incredibly fresh track pants (and jackets) can now be sourced from New York-based indie designer Puro. Like if Christopher Moltisanti made Napoli’s first team. Madone!
Nike
Dri-Fit Soccer Pants
Not everything needs to be a retro reference. Nike’s Academy Dri-FIT track pant is a contemporary pair done right—clean lines, a tough woven shell, and trusty sweat-wicking tech.
Hats
While only worn in the sport itself by goalies staring into the setting sun, soccer teams both underground and international haven’t missed the opportunity to slap their logo across a snapback. This is a win for the game! Caps, not just for baseball.
Secret Futebol
Hot Wheels Cap
Cool-guy New York footy collective Secret Futebol Club organizes underground games—and has some IYKYK gear to go with it. This one’s a slick Y2K-era Knicks flip that club member and downtown clout hat engineer @wheredugetthathat stitched up for those in the know.
Vermont Green FC
Dad Cap
If you like soccer in the U.S., you already love an underdog. Show it with this dad cap from a team in USL League Two. (Yup, that’s the fourth tier of American soccer.)
Venezia FC
Snapback Cap
Venezia FC was once called “the world’s most fashionable football club” by this very publication. Lately, the team is doing better on style than results, but the newly designed badge on this cap still cuts a sharp figure.
Barbour
Waxed Cotton Bucket Hat
The bucket hat says “A cold, rainy night in Stoke,” but the Barbour credentials say “driving the Defender to the Cotswolds, back Monday.” Pairs as well with a track jacket as it does a real raincoat.
