While national team shirts usually receive most of the attention, the color of a team’s shorts can be just as important to its visual identity. An examination of FIFA World Cup kits across history reveals a striking pattern: white dominates the pants worn by national teams.
White
White is by far the most common shorts color in World Cup history. 43 nations have worn white pants more than any other color. White has an important practical advantage in football: it is highly versatile and can be paired with shirts of almost any color. It also became especially common during the early decades of international football, when national kits were generally much simpler than they are today.
Italy has worn white shorts more often than any other country in the World Cup. The white shorts help compliment their typical blue shirts. After blue, white is the next most common shirt color for Italy as well.
The countries wearing white shorts most often include:
- Italy – 63 matches
- France – 55
- Mexico – 42
- Serbia / Yugoslavia – 38
- Russia / USSR – 36
- Switzerland – 30
- Hungary – 29
- Czech Republic – 27
- Croatia – 21
Blue
Blue is the second most common shorts color for teams at the FIFA World Cup. It can come in a variety of shades. For example, Spain generally wears dark blue, while Brazil tends to wear light blue.
The countries wearing blue shorts most often include:
- Brazil – 93 matches
- Spain – 55
- Sweden – 45
- England – 44
- Paraguay – 25
- Chile – 20
Green
Green is one of the few colors that appears more often on shorts than shirts at the World Cup. Australia and Nigeria are the two countries that have worn green shorts the most often. However, neither has worn them in more than 20 matches at the World Cup.
Black
Black is another color that appears more often on shorts than shirts at the World Cup. In fact, two of the most successful national teams often wear white shorts: Germany and Argentina. Early football uniforms tended to use fairly basic combinations. Black became one of the traditional “dark” colors for shorts.
The countries wearing black shorts most often include:
- Germany – 98 matches
- Argentina – 65
- Uruguay – 47
- Austria – 24
Red
Red shorts are a lot less common than red shirts at the FIFA World Cup. In fact, only 6 national teams have worn red shorts most often at the World Cup. Poland has worn them the most, since a white top and red bottoms match their flag perfectly.
The countries wearing red shorts most often include:
- Poland – 31 matches
- Belgium – 29
- Cameroon – 22
Orange
Only two countries have orange as their primary shorts color at the FIFA World Cup. Netherlands has worn it by far the most. Although the Dutch flag today is red, white, and blue, orange remains the country’s sporting color. Orange comes from the royal family that played a central role in the country’s independence.
- Netherlands – 23 matches
Yellow
Ukraine is the only country that has primarily worn yellow shorts at the World Cup. The team wore an all yellow kit in its 5 matches at its only appearance in the World Cup in 2006.