If the 90s kit makers were mostly made by Umbro, Lotto, Kappa, and Adidas, then the 2000s were about Nike's intricate design and performative technology (e.g. dri-fit) elements. Let's take a look at our favorite jerseys from the 2000s.
France 2006 World Cup Away Kit
Often considered superior to the 1998 French kit even though France lost in the finals of this World Cup, the 2006 uniform is one of magic. With a white canvass, the Tricolore gets completed with red and blue graphics. The Adidas three stripes also get the bands of the French flag.
Brazil 2006 World Cup Home Kit
After a different 2002 kit design, Nike decided to get back to basics to celebrate the iconic yellow jersey. In mocking the t-shirt style of the 70s kit, the jersey arms and collar were trimmed with green.
Cameroon 2002 World Cup Home Kit
Raging against the FIFA rulebook, the Cameroon football team tried to go sleeveless at World Cup 2002 but FIFA later made them add sleeves. Thankfully, the black sleeves turned to be an excellent addition.
Ivory Coast 2010 World Cup Home Kit
Led by Didier Droba, Ivory Coast sported an orange kit that popped with the hint of green at the sleeves and shorts plus the iconic team patch featuring the elephant.
New Zealand 2010 World Cup Away Kit
New Zealand made it to the 2010 World Cup wearing a rugby-inspired All Blacks kit. Minimalist and clean, this has to be one of our favorites.
Portugal 2010 Home Kit
So fresh, so clean. Portugal's 2010 uniform featured a vertical red and green stripe that ran through the milky white jersey. The all-green shorts were also superb, yielding a sparkling contrast.
Argentina 2006 World Cup Home Kit
Every wonder goal needs a beautiful kit. Maxi Rodriguez scored one of the best goals in World Cup history in this uniform with a volley against Mexico. The outfit featured the country's trademark white and light blue stripes with the AFA logo over the heart. It also has black Adidas stripes on the arms.
England 2006 World Cup Home Kit
The simplicity of the all red 1966 World Cup trophy will always be hard to beat. But the 2006 featured classy Umbro and England in every way. The stripe coming down the right was subtle and perfect and gave the other side of the chest focus on the coat of arms.
Germany 2006 World Cup Home Kit
While no German kit will ever beat the 1990 one, this jersey is still pretty solid. The 2006 uniform featured the three shoulder stripes followed by red, black, and yellow strips that connected down to the flair on the shorts.
Uruguay 2010 World Cup Home Kit
Primarily light blue with white underpinnings, the Puma kit created for the 2010 Uruguayan national team was also clean and minimalist. Diego Forlan scored five goals wearing the jersey in the tournament.
Spain 2010 World Cup Home Kit
Player number on the left, the crest on the right. The red and yellow stripes jersey reflected the pass and move philosophy of Spain that got them the World Cup trophy.
