World Cup jerseys get mixed reviews ahead of Qatar 2014
The world is well on its way to watching Qatar’s first ever World Cup after the Gulf state was named host of the 16th edition of the tournament in December. And it’s looking like the jersey design and branding, for this year’s tournament, will be pretty different from previous years.
Here’s all the big news and the details from a World Cup jersey-making company, Adidas.
Adidas
First up: What’s different about Qatar’s design?
With little-to-no fanfare, Adidas has unveiled the official Qatari football jerseys for 2014. The first one — with an al-Batin, a traditional Islamic calligraphic symbol — is the official jersey of the United Arab Emirates at the men’s tournament, while the other two are the official kits for Qatar ahead of the women’s and youth teams.
And with the exception of a Qatar’s “emirates on fire” slogan and a Qatari flag on the sleeve, the designs are all pretty boring. For the men’s team, it’s just a plain white shirt with Qatar’s country name and logo on front and back, and on the side, Adidas has placed two red stripes, one of which is a white band. The other is a yellow band, which is actually the Qatari flag (obv., in yellow).
The Qatar women’s jersey is a nice-looking shade of yellowish green. It has the Qatar flag on the front, and the country’s al-Batin on the back. On the front, though, it has the words “Qatar 2022 Official Football Competition” in white in the upper right quadrant. The Qatar flag is also featured — just in a slightly smaller size — on the back. And there’s a Qatari national-flag-style version of Adidas’ famous Red Stripes font on the side panel.
Also on the women’s jersey is an Adidas-designed logo in purple, which was also the font used in the Qatar’s 2012 Olympic uniforms (but also used in the 2011 FIBA Basketball World Cup). And instead of Adidas’ usual red and yellow stripes, the Qatar jersey has a black and white striped design.
The youth kits are similar
