Soccer Kit Confusion

We have long been fascinated by the interplay between the home, away, and goalkeeper uniforms on a soccer pitch, but we weren’t expecting the 2026 World Cup to offer such a perfect example of why the subject is so captivating.

As reported in the New York Times last week, the USMNT wore their away kit instead of their home kit against Belgium, despite being designated the home team for the match.

This was because during a World Cup warm up friendly last March, the USMNT red and white striped home kits and the Belgian pink and blue away kits proved confusing on the field. “On and off the pitch,” the Times reported, “many people struggled to differentiate the players from each country, especially at set pieces where they were gathered together.”

One could be forgiven for doubting how soft pink and blue orbs could be mistaken for bold red and while stripes, but photos from the match indicate just how confusing it was:

Much more clear were the uniforms for the rematch:

Why exactly, both the US and Belgian squads wore different combinations of shorts and socks for other matches is a question we will leave for another day.