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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Sport
Pablo Iglesias Maurer

UNCOVERED: Nike s high tech 2026 world cup jerseys have a shoulder problem - The Untold Story

Emiliano Martinez wearing Uruguay jersey during England match at Wembley Stadium
Uruguay’s Emiliano Martinez was one of the players whose jerseys featured the flaw over the international break Photograph: Nigel French/Getty Images/Allstar

When Nike rolled out its collection of World Cup kits in late March, fans and pundits alike largely approved. The US men’s national team got arguably their most distinctive pair of shirts in decades, while other federations – France, England, Canada and Uruguay among them – earned strong reviews.

Over the last international break, when players took the field in the kits for the first time, many fans couldn’t help but become fixated on one singular detail of the new shirts: a somewhat unsightly bulge along the shoulder seam.

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