The World Cup is in full swing. Even if you’re not a football fan, it’s been hard to miss with news streams, social media feeds, and pub conversations alike, all occupied with stories related to the various matches taking place across Canada, Mexico and the United States. And while I can’t tell you who's still in the race or the team predicted to take the trophy when this all wraps up in mid-July, I *can* tell you each of the designer handbags that the men’s French Team have been photographed carrying into training. Hermès, Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Dior all feature, if you’re interested.
Similarly, I know the Spanish team has a travel wardrobe designed by Loewe after the fashion house agreed to a four-year partnership with both the men’s and women’s national football teams, and Gabriela Hearst is designing for Uruguay. Plus, I can discuss the breakthrough trend for bubblegum pink football boots as sported by Jude Bellingham, Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappé, to name just a few.
Perhaps the most viral moment, however, was the Democratic Republic of Congo squad’s arrival at the tournament, their first appearance at a World Cup in 52 years.
Collectively dressed in classic black suits with a leopard print sash draped across the torso, the look was created by Parisian-Congolese designer Alvin Junior Mak. Nodding to the national team's nickname of Les Leopards, as well as the country's tradition of La Sape – the practice of dressing impeccably in sharp suiting and traditional tailoring, rooted in the political history of the culture – it was both a celebration of Congolese style and one of the tournament's most memorable fashion moments.
They looked intimidatingly good, and they brought that mentality to the pitch, drawing 1-1 with Portugal in their first match in what can only be described as an unprecedented result. The score earned the Democratic Republic of Congo their first-ever World Cup point since the tournament was established in 1930.
While fashion headlines used to focus solely on the WAGs – think Victoria Beckham and Cheryl Tweedy (then Cole) in bug-eye sunglasses and teeny tiny denim hotpants – it’s now the footballers themselves sparking the trends.
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“We're so used to the WAG narrative. Baden-Baden in 2006 was such a cultural moment because we hadn't really seen it before at that scale,” says Felicia Pennant, founder and editor of SEASON Zine, referring to the German town that was famously transformed into ‘Wag central’ thanks to the luxury lifestyles of the wives and girlfriends of the England squad during the FIFA World Cup 20 years ago. “The fact that those particular WAGs were already in show business meant people were fascinated by what they wore to the match. We hadn't really seen that before.”
That begs the question: when did the focus shift from the WAGs in the stands and the footballers becoming the main fashion event?
“As football has become a continuous image economy, footballers are no longer only athletes but image-makers. Social media, club channels, sponsors, and fan accounts make them visible long before the match begins and long after it ends,” Andrew Groves, Professor of Menswear Systems at the University of Westminster and Director of the Westminster Menswear Archive, tells Cosmopolitan UK.
“Because the match kit is so tightly regulated, fashion enters through the spaces around the game rather than solely through the game itself: the training ground, the stadium arrival, and the changing room.”
It’s a phenomenon affecting more than just footballers. Across sport, athletes are increasingly being judged on more than just their athletic ability. The NBA tunnel walks have long generated as much sartorial attention as the celebrity attire positioned court-side. See @NBAFashionFits, an Instagram dedicated to ID-ing basketball stars’ attire, that was created in 2016 and has since grown to boast 532k followers.
“The intersection of sport and fashion has never felt more exciting,” says Dina Ahmad, NBA EME Vice President of New Business Ventures, Global Partnerships & Events. The 2026 NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs on 14 June was the most-watched NBA Finals in 28 years, with more than 24 million viewers tuning in to watch Game 5 on 13 June where the Knicks claimed victory for the first time in 53 years.
“[That] speaks not only to the strength of the game, but to its rising influence in culture more broadly,” Ahmad continues. “NBA jerseys, for example, have become everyday wardrobe staples, styled, layered and reimagined as part of streetwear and personal style in cities around the world.” The same applies to basketball shorts, famously comprising a core part of Billie Eilish’s day-to-day and tour wardrobe.
While basketball may have pioneered the tunnel ‘fit, it's since become standard practice across much of elite sport. American Football has seen a similar fascination, with Travis Kelce (AKA Mr Taylor Swift) leading the way in head-to-toe designer fits that wouldn’t look out of place on a fashion week runway.
So too has Formula 1, largely thanks to Lewis Hamilton and his avant-garde paddock fashion both on and off the track.
Most recently, it was a Niccolò Pasqualetti sheer pale pink sequinned top from the emerging Italian designer’s spring 2026 collection, paired with tailored trousers in a coordinating blush colourway and a delicate pearl choker strung around his neck. His outfit alone was enough to overshadow Kim Kardashian’s attendance as his girlfriend at the event, further proving that WAGs are no longer the main event.
It’s no surprise that searches on Pinterest for ‘Lewis Hamilton aesthetic’ grew 223% between January 2026 and June 2026, while ‘Formula 1 aesthetic outfit’ searches increased 483%.
As pre-match dressing has become entertainment in its own right, the World Cup has embraced that shift rather than resisted it, with this year’s tournament amplifying fashion’s role in sport even further. “There’s way more eyes and interest [than ever before],” believes Pennant, pointing to the fact that this year three of the largest nations in the world are collectively hosting.
“Countries have taken advantage of that to assert national pride, showcase traditional clothing and show people who they are,” she continues. “‘Show not tell’ is such a big thing in football – you show your skills, your prowess and your expertise through the way you play. Now, there's also that ‘look good, feel good, play good’ factor as well.”
If fashion has become another extension of sporting performance, it's also become one of the clearest ways athletes can express themselves beyond the confines of a team and a uniform. As well as using fashion to showcase individuality, creativity, and cultural identity, it can also symbolise success. Given the annual salary for a Premier League footballer is reported to be around £3,000,000 annually (roughly £60,000 per week), per the Professional Football Scouts Association, it’s not surprising that expression of style often translates as dripping in designer goods.
“Football has long allowed men to care about clothing without appearing to care too much,” explains Groves. “Performance, team identity, and national pride make football fashion feel functional, even when it is clearly also about style and display.” Perhaps that's why, while Paris Fashion Week Menswear quietly unfolded over the same week (from June 23-June 28), it was footballers arriving at stadiums – not models walking the runways – who generated some of the biggest sartorial talking points.
As the tournament heads towards its final whistle, one thing feels certain: this year’s World Cup has felt different. It’s been about far more than the football itself, and the winning team won't be the only thing people remember. From Congolese tailoring to Hermès holdalls, footballers have gone from being goal scorers to becoming fashion protagonists, and the beautiful game has cemented itself as fashion’s newest runway.
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Alexandria Dale is the Digital Fashion Writer at Cosmopolitan UK. Covering everything from the celebrity style moments worth knowing about to the latest fashion news, there’s nothing she loves more than finding a high street dupe of a must-have designer item. As well as discovering new brands, she’s passionate about sustainable fashion and establishing the trends that are actually worth investing in. Having worked in fashion journalism for six years, she has experience at both digital and print publications including Glamour and Ok!
