FIFA World Cup 2026: Red or green? For Brazil, the politics of World Cup kits matter

Subscribed with another email? Logout and Login with that one. Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription The View From India Looking at World Affairs from the Indian perspective. First Day First Show News and reviews from the world of cinema and streaming. Today's Cache Your download of the top 5 technology stories of the day. Science For All The weekly newsletter from science writers takes the jargon out of science and puts the fun in! Data Point Decoding the headlines with facts, figures, and numbers THEdge At the cutting edge of education and careers Health Matters Ramya Kannan writes to you on getting to good health, and staying there Gender Agenda Stories from beyond the binary. The Hindu On Books Books of the week, reviews, excerpts, new titles and features. Updated - June 24, 2026 12:06 pm IST - Morristown, United States Brazil goalkeeper Alisson Becker will now sport a green kit instead of the red jersey in the match against Scotland, which was officially approved by FIFA. | Photo Credit: AP When Brazil faces Scotland in the World Cup on Wednesday (June 24, 2026), the South American team's goalkeeper Alisson Becker will be dressed in a green kit — not the red one originally approved by FIFA. Also read | FIFA World Cup: Neymar to return from injury for Brazil, likely to play against Scotland In any other country, such a wardrobe change might have gone unnoticed, but not in Brazil where the national team's colours have become the subject of a deep political dispute. The Selecao's iconic yellow and green jerseys were co-opted years ago by conservatives aligned with far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro — who is serving time for plotting a coup after losing the 2022 elections to Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. And while Mr. Lula has set out to reclaim the colours of Brazil's flag in his push to re-election in October, red — not typically part of Team Brazil's gear — is the colour of the left and his party. When FIFA unveiled the group stage kits for each team's goalkeepers before the tournament began on June 11, 2026, it said Alisson would be in a completely red uniform for the team's final Group C match. The Liverpool shot-stopper wore black and pink kits in the first two games against Morocco and Haiti. But before the five-time world champions try to secure their place in the round of 32 in Miami, the change came down on the goalkeeper's dress code: the red kit was dropped in favor of the green. After Brazilian sports media reported Tuesday (June 23, 2026) that the president of the country's football federation (CBF) Samir Xaud had "vetoed" the red kit, he told ESPN the change was long-planned. "I asked for it because it's something we already talked about some time ago. We're prioritizing the colours of Brazil's flag," Xaud told ESPN. Last August, Xaud asked U.S. sportswear brand Nike, which has outfitted the team since 1996, to cancel the red kits — saying then that the move was not because of "political reasons" but to exalt national colours. In a message to AFP on Tuesday (June 24, 2026), the national federation denied any "veto," and said FIFA chose the red kit "without knowing" it was not part of Brazil's clothing collection for the games. "FIFA stipulates that each team must present four goalkeeper jersey options. We included the red one as the fourth option but it has not been released on the market and is not part of Nike's current collection," CBF said. FIFA declined comment to AFP and Nike did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The politicisation of the Selecao's uniforms has permeated the football-mad country. Some avoid the green and yellow jerseys to avoid any association with Mr. Bolsonaro and his movement, while others on the left wear unofficial red merchandise emblazoned with the CBF's crest or communist symbols. "We need to wear green and yellow and add 'Not a Bolsonarist,'" the 80-year-old Mr. Lula said at an event in Rio de Janeiro earlier this month. "During the World Cup, we should wear in yellow and green so we don't let Brazil's colors be taken over by any fascist." Mr. Lula and Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, son of the former President, are leading in the polls ahead of the October elections. Jair Bolsonaro used to say his country's flag "will never be red," and his son calls the traditional green and yellow shirt "Bolsonaro's jersey." Copyright© 2026, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. Terms & conditions | Institutional Subscriber Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments. We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Us

FIFA World Cup 2026: Red or green? For Brazil, the politics of World Cup kits matter

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FIFA World Cup 2026: Red or green? For Brazil, the politics of World Cup kits matter

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