Africa’s greatest World Cup kits – pick your favourite Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Nigeria’s Super Eagles saw their 2018 kit fly off the shelves, Cameroon’s 2002 sleeveless jersey caused controversy and Asamoah Gyan’s missed penalty in the 2010 quarter-finals means he will forever be remembered in red and gold By Ian Williams BBC Sport Africa Published 19 June 2026 The World Cup is about goals, drama and emotion – but it is also about great kits. And when it comes to colourful and iconic designs, Africa has had more than its fair share. BBC Sport Africa has picked 10 of the continent’s very best for you to rank. Which one is your all-time favourite? Zaire 1974 (home) Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Zaire’s iconic green and yellow 1974 kit featured what was then the name of the country and the team’s Leopards nickname The oldest, and possibly boldest, of our kits, this vision in yellow and green was very much of its time. While the shirt had a big collar and deep V-neck, what really made it stand out was the decision to put both the name of the country and the team’s Leopards nickname and logo on the chest. Congolese designer Alvin Junior Mak, who has just gone viral after designing the current squad’s leopard print arrival suits, says he went back to the fashions of 1974 for inspiration. “When you are in Africa, we say if you want to move forward, you have to see where you come from,” he told BBC Sport Africa. While Zaire’s tournament 52 years ago, which included a 9-0 hammering at the hands of Yugoslavia, turned out to be a failure, at least the kit was anything but. Algeria 1982 (home) Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Algeria’s 1982 kit copied Zaire by having the name of the country written on the front in Arabic script (Al-Jaza’ir) Another deep neck and big collar also mark this shiny beauty out as a product of its era. Algeria’s first World Cup appearance in 1982 came towards the back end of the country’s socialist heyday, meaning the kit was manufactured by state-owned clothing firm Sonitex. “The company is defunct now, so there’s no copyright protection on the design, hence many smaller clothing companies copying and selling it in Algeria and to the diaspora,” said Algerian sports journalist Maher Mazahi. “That’s also one of the reasons it’s so popular among our football hipsters”. When will an African side win the World Cup? Published 10 June Cameroon 1990 (home) Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Cameroon became the first African nation to reach the World Cup quarter-finals in 1990 Cameroon’s run to the quarter-finals of Italia ’90 was memorable for many reasons, including their 1-0 victory over holders Argentina in the tournament’s opening match and, of course, Roger Milla’s corner-flag wiggle. Aged 38, the veteran striker was called out of retirement by President Paul Biya and bagged four goals to inspire his dancing celebration. “The shirt had an iconic lion roaring on the chest, which to many was a symbol of pride, courage and determination,” explained Paul Njie, the BBC World Service’s man in Yaounde. “Many people believe that was the best ever performance of the Cameroon national team and some of them attribute that to the luck which came with the kit.” Nigeria 1994 (away) Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Nigeria made their first World Cup appearance in 1994, when a dancing Daniel Amokachi (right) made his name scoring goals against Bulgaria and Greece Nigeria made their first World Cup appearance in 1994 and immediately set the standard with this jersey. Rashidi Yekini, Daniel Amokachi and Emmanuel Amunike all scored as the Super Eagles rocked it on their debut, gaining a 3-0 win over Bulgaria. They wore it again for the 2-0 victory over Greece, meaning they won both games while playing in away colors and lost against Argentina and Italy when sporting their green home kit. “We see the legends, the players that made the difference for Nigerian football, and if I cl