World Cup 2026 approaches: how well do you know historic tournament shirts?

World Cup 2026 will feature more kits than any previous tournament, with 48 nations travelling to the United States, Canada and Mexico each carrying multiple sets of shirts — making now a fitting moment to test your knowledge of the classic designs that came before them.

The quiz presents 20 historic World Cup shirts and asks readers to identify the nation that wore each one. There is no time limit, so there is no excuse for rushing through it.

The challenge is tougher than it sounds. Kits from World Cups past can blur together across decades, and without a badge or a familiar colour combination to anchor your memory, even well-travelled football fans may find themselves second-guessing.

World Cup 2026, co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, will be the first edition to feature 48 competing nations — a significant expansion from the 32-team format used since France 1998. That growth means a record number of kits will be on show when the tournament kicks off next summer.

For those who want more World Cup trivia, related quizzes include naming Scotland’s starting line-up from their final World Cup fixture at France 1998, identifying 20 of the biggest stars of the 1994 tournament — the last time the United States hosted the World Cup — and naming the most successful club from each of the 48 nations that have qualified for 2026.