The best football kits of the 2010s came from a decade when shirt design stopped being an afterthought and became the reason people queued outside shops. It was the era of viral drops, national-identity graphics and manufacturers finally trusting supporters to handle something bolder than a plain badge on a plain body.
Why the 2010s Changed Football Kit Design Forever
Two things collided. Social media meant a kit launch could be seen by millions before a ball was kicked, and manufacturers realised a shirt was no longer just matchwear but a piece of streetwear. Designers started digging into flags, folk patterns, city architecture and old club archives instead of recycling the same template in different colours.
The result is a decade that still dominates resale listings. If you compare it with the classic jerseys of earlier eras, 2010s shirts feel modern to wear but distinctive enough to be instantly datable — which is exactly what collectors want.
Nigeria 2018: The Kit That Broke the Internet
No conversation about the best football kits of the 2010s starts anywhere else. Nike’s Nigeria home shirt for the 2018 World Cup paired a lime-and-white zigzag body with black-and-green sleeves, drawing on the 1994 Super Eagles kit and Lagos street style. Nike reported around three million pre-orders, and the London launch sold out within minutes with queues around the block.
What made it work was confidence. Nothing about it was safe, and it proved that a national team jersey could outsell shirts from far bigger footballing markets purely on design.
Germany 2014: Champions in Chevrons
Adidas gave Germany a white shirt cut through with a bold red-and-black chevron across the chest — a genuine departure from the tidy tricolour trims of the previous decade. It became untouchable the moment Mario Gotze’s extra-time finish beat Argentina in the Maracana.
That final also gave us one of the decade’s best away kits, with Germany’s red-and-black alternate shirt still commanding strong prices. Both remain staples in the Germany jersey range, and the chevron idea has echoed through Adidas templates ever since.
The International Shirts That Defined the Decade
Croatia 2018
The sahovnica chequerboard is the most recognisable pattern in international football, and the 2018 Nike version got the balance right — clean red-and-white squares, no gimmicks, worn all the way to a World Cup final.
Japan 2018
Adidas built the Samurai Blue home shirt around a sashiko stitching motif, referencing traditional Japanese needlework. It is subtle in photos and superb in the hand, and it started a run of Japan kits that consistently rank among the world’s best.
Belgium 2018 Away
Red and black argyle diamonds, inspired by Belgian tapestry and the Red Devils’ 1984 shirt. It divided opinion on release and is now one of the decade’s most-hunted shirts. You will still find demand for anything in the Belgium jersey catalogue because of it.
Portugal 2016
Simple, deep red, green trim — and immortalised by a first major trophy at Euro 2016. Sentiment does a lot of the work here, which is why Portugal jerseys from that summer still shift so well.
Peru 2018
The white shirt with the diagonal red sash returned to a World Cup after 36 years away. It is arguably the purest design in South American football, and the 2018 version is the one most fans want.
Club Kits That Defined the 2010s
Ajax’s 2018-19 third kit is the cult pick — black with red, gold and green trim as a nod to Bob Marley’s Three Little Birds, a song long sung at the Johan Cruyff Arena. It sold out repeatedly and now trades well above retail.
Elsewhere, Juventus binned their stripes in 2019-20 for a split black-and-white design with a pink accent, one of the boldest decisions any major club made all decade. Barcelona’s 2019-20 chequerboard home shirt caused similar arguments among fans of La Liga jerseys, while in England the decade delivered Manchester City’s 2018-19 domestic treble kit and Liverpool’s 2018-19 New Balance home — both fixtures in any Premier League jersey collection.
Across the Atlantic, the 2010s were when MLS jerseys stopped being generic and started reflecting individual city identities — a shift that matters a lot heading into a North American World Cup.
The Misses: 2010s Kits That Did Not Land
Not everything aged well. Manchester United’s 2012-13 gingham hoops were mocked on release, though winning Sir Alex Ferguson’s final title has softened the verdict. Cameroon’s 2010s one-piece kit attempt was ruled out by regulations, and a run of laser-cut, ultra-tight templates in the early part of the decade flattered almost nobody who was not a professional athlete.
The lesson for buyers: fit changed a lot between 2010 and 2019. If you are chasing a shirt from the early years of the decade, check measurements rather than trusting the label — our FAQ page covers sizing questions in detail.
How Kit Technology Moved On
The 2010s brought engineered mesh panels, laser-cut ventilation, bonded seams instead of stitched ones, and knitted collars replacing heavy ribbed ones. Recycled polyester went from a marketing line to the default, with Nike and Adidas both moving their major national team shirts onto recycled fabric during the second half of the decade.
It also cemented the split between authentic and replica versions — lighter, tighter authentic shirts for players, roomier and more durable replicas for supporters. That split is now standard across every club team jersey on the market.
What the 2010s Mean for World Cup 2026
The design language of the coming tournament is a direct descendant of this decade. Expect heritage patterns, archive references and away kits designed to be worn off the pitch — the exact playbook Nigeria wrote in 2018. With 48 teams competing across the USA, Canada and Mexico, the volume of kits alone guarantees some instant classics. FIFA’s official tournament information is worth bookmarking at FIFA.com.
You can see how the influence plays out across our World Cup 2026 jerseys collection, from Argentina and Brazil to France, England, Spain and Italy. Host nation shirts from Mexico and the wider North and Central America region are worth watching closely too.
How to Start Collecting the Best Football Kits of the 2010s
Pick a theme rather than buying at random. A single nation across the decade, one tournament, or one manufacturer’s output all make far better collections than a shelf of unrelated shirts. Tournament shirts hold value best, followed by anything tied to a trophy or a famous match.
Condition matters more than age. A 2014 shirt with intact sponsor print and no bobbling is worth more than a 2011 shirt that has been tumble-dried fifty times. Check badges, sleeve patches and wash tags before you buy, and store shirts folded flat or hung on wide hangers.
Shop the Classics at SideJersey
Whether you are after a 2010s icon or the kits that will define the next tournament, SideJersey ships quality football shirts across the UK and beyond. Browse our European national team jerseys, dig through the classic jerseys archive, or learn more about us before you order. The best football kits of the 2010s set the standard — 2026 is where the next batch gets written.
