Nike International Soccer: Rock the Right Kit This Summer
It’s about that time again — the greatest tournament in soccer is just around the corner. The feeling is palpable, the intensity is unmatched; fans’ emotions hang on every pass, every shot, and every save. But before the madness starts and chaos ensues, you need the correct kit to display your pride.
This year, Nike designed all their kits with detailed input from professional players, followed by 3D scanning and motion capture in the Nike Sports Research Lab to properly define their women’s-specific fit. On many kits, they also added slogans on the inside of the neckline to give inspiration to the wearer.
Let’s take a closer look at each country’s newest Nike jersey and what makes the designs special to the athletes who sport them.
United States Home Kit
Inner Pride – “Climb Again”
The USA home kits have a deep, personal meaning to many of the players on this year’s national team. The Nike Swoosh and red-and-navy stripes on the arm cuff pay homage to the 1999 team, whose iconic tournament win inspired many current athletes to get into soccer in the first place. The jerseys feature three stars above the crest to signify the United States’ three tournament trophies while the 50 states print on the back represents the nation’s collective support for the team.
United States Away Kit
Inner Pride – “Hold Fast. Stay True.”
While the home kits pay tribute to the past, the away design is a nod to the future. The inspiration behind these kits is that being American is about standing out and boldly displaying your pride. The stars-and-stripes pattern spread across the all-red jersey is symbolic of the American flag. Although these kits focus on what’s next, Nike still wanted to pay tribute to the USA’s past accomplishments, so they placed three white stars representing the three championships on the royal stripe at the back of the neck.
Brazil Home Kit
Inner Pride – “Mulheres Guerreiras Do Brasil” meaning “Women Warriors of Brazil”
Pelé, Ronaldinho, Marta. When you think of these famous Brazilian footballers, you think of the iconic yellow they sported while creating some of the most memorable moments in international soccer history. Nike didn’t stray far from Brazil’s traditional look with these kits, embracing the colors the Brazilian national team has worn since 1954.
Brazil Away Kit
Inner Pride – “Mulheres Guerreiras Do Brasil” meaning “Women Warriors of Brazil”
Brazil’s royal away kits start with a bold geometric pattern at the neck that slowly fades towards the bottom of the jersey. The pattern is inspired by bright stars and the royal color represents the sky on a cool, clear night in Rio. Brazil also pays tribute to their men’s team tournament wins with five stars above the crest.
England Home Kit
Inner Pride – “The Lionesses”
Clean and Classic. That’s the best way to describe England’s home kits. The traditional white is sacred to England and Nike wanted these jerseys to display the country’s loyalty and heritage. If you look closely, you’ll find a very subtle, tonal floral print that represents the roses specific to the neighborhoods around London. These jerseys also display red-and-maroon striping on the sleeve cuffs to punctuate the crispness of the white base.
England Away Kit
Inner Pride – “The Lionesses”
Where England’s home kits embrace a minimalistic design, the away jerseys boast an aggressive maroon floral print, hand drawn to include poppy, primrose, and rose – the native flora of the country. Nike separated the pattern into four quadrants, a nod to St. George’s Cross. These kits use an off-white color for the logo that keeps the overall theme bold, but still evokes the history of a proud nation.
France Home Kit
Inner Pride – “Nos Différences Nous Unissent” meaning “Our Differences Unite Us”
For this year’s host country, Nike decided to honor tradition by staying true to France’s “Les Bleus” national team nickname. The solid navy base is accented with rose gold lettering, providing the proper pop for the iconic French Football Federation crest. The jerseys also include a subtle hint of red, white, and blue taping at the sleeve to represent the French flag. According to Nike, these kits personify the sophistication of the French and are a nod to the high-end, exclusive clothing produced by the country.
France Away Kit
Inner Pride – “Nos Différences Nous Unissent” meaning “Our Differences Unite Us”
To contrast the solid blue home jerseys, Nike’s white away kits feature a pattern of small hexagons, spread across the shirt like polka dots, that pay tribute the France’s unique border shape. The inner pride phrase, “Nos Différences Nous Unissent,” is printed with a small “o” to represent Chanel and France’s rich history of fashion.
Australia Home Kit
Inner Pride – “Never Say Die”
Described by some as the most exuberant kit in the bunch, Australia’s home jerseys use white, yellow, and green brush strokes to represent their creative, youthful team. Incorporating design elements from Melbourne’s famous Hosier Lane, Nike created a ’90s-style look that combines the colors of the Australian countryside with the graffiti art culture seen in the country’s urban areas.
Netherlands Home Kit
Inner Pride – Crown symbol to represent the country’s monarchy.
For the newly designed Dutch kits, Nike created a digital tulip, a geometric design that represents the country’s iconic flower. These kits also mark the first time the Netherlands will forgo the traditional lion crest for a lioness, representing the pride and ferocity of the women’s team.
Norway Home Kit
Inner Pride – Snowflake and Flower symbols
This year, Norway’s home kits combine the team’s trademark red and blue into a “winter sweater” print inspired by the country’s decorated ski jumpers. The design combines snowflakes and flowers to honor the beauty and variety of Norway’s weather.
China Away Kit
Inner Pride – Phoenix logo
To remind the Chinese team of the powerhouse spirt of the 1990s, these light grey kits feature an intricate phoenix pattern. The design was created to represent femininity and virtue, paying tribute to the “Steel Roses” nickname given to the team.
Wesley Sneijder in the 
Robin Van Persie in the 
Arjen Robben in the adidas F50 adiZero.
Arjen Robben in the 
Sergio Ramos in the 
Fernando Torres in the 
Andres Iniesta in the Nike CTR 360 shoots the match-winning goal.
Golden Glove winner Iker Casillas celebrates the victory in the Reebok Valde II Pro.
Spain celebrates their first World Cup title.
As the Oranje and La Roja Furia teams prepare for the final match of this year’s World Cup at Soccer City Stadium in South Africa, they’ll use the same best practices as they always do regardless of who their opponent is. For each team their approach to the game is quite different, yet equally effective.
For the Oranje, the 4th ranked team in the world, their team may not be about precision and control, but they play with a passion and excitement that seems to be matched only by their fans. In fact the Dutch have not lost a match so far. The Dutch will look to capitalize with furious attacks on any and every mistake. Like Spain, the Flying Dutchmen won all of their qualifiers. However unlike the Spaniards, Netherlands has not lost a match in the tournament, despite being down 1-0 against the world’s top ranked team, Brazil. The Dutch came back to win 2-1 thanks to two goals from their top goal scorer Wesley Sneijder, who combined with Arjen Robben, makeup one of the best attacking offenses in the tournament. A completely different approach than their next opponents, but proven to be effective in getting Netherlands to the final match.
A Netherland player’s 
Diego Forlan celebrates a goal in the 
Dirk Kuyt in the 
Wesley Sneijder in the 
Arjen Robben controls the ball in the 
Arjen Robben and Walter Gargano fight for the ball both wearing the 
Wesley Sneijder and Giovanni Van Bronckhorst celebrate, both wearing the 
Robinho in the 
Wesley Sneijder of Netherlands in the 
Nigel De Long of Netherlands in the 
Arjen Robben of Netherlands in the 
Dirk Kuyt and Mark Van Bommel of Netherlands both wearing the 
Diego Forlan of Uruguay in the 
Kevin Prince Boateng of Ghana in the 
Sulley Muntari in the Nike CTR 360 and Kevin Price Boateng in the 
Asamoah Gyan of Ghana in the