Inside the colorful, compelling and controversial jersey designs at the World Cup

There will be blood, sweat and tears on players’ soccer jerseys at the World Cup — and plenty of deeper cultural and historical meaning, too.

Here, The Associated Press runs you through some of the more compelling — and controversial — backstories from the kit designs on show in soccer’s biggest event, currently taking place in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Cape Verde’s flight paths

For its World Cup debut, the smallest nation by population at the tournament is paying homage to the roughly 525,000 inhabitants who live on 10 volcanic islands off the coast of Africa.

A geometric, triangular print across its blue (home) and white (away) jerseys represents the network of flight paths that connect the islands.

The idea is that the people of Cape Verde are united behind the players at the World Cup — and that togetherness showed as the team held firm to seal an unlikely 0-0 draw with heavily favored Spain in their first match.

Belgium’s surrealism

“This is not a jersey,” reads a message on the collar of Belgium’s multicolor away shirt.

No, the Belgians aren’t losing their minds. It’s just a nod to the European nation’s surrealist heritage — and notably the work of its master in this artistic movement from the early 20th century. Throughout his career, Belgian artist René Magritte questioned the enigmatic relationship of mind and eye, reality and language, writing under “The Treachery of Images” — his iconic painting of a pipe — the words: “Ceci n’est pas une pipe (This is not a pipe).”

The light-blue jersey features pink patterns and black detailing, incorporating soccer-inspired motifs such as pitch lines and a ball.

“True to the surrealism theme, the kit sparks the imagination and invites conversation,” the Belgian federation says.

Haiti’s battle scene

The original jersey submitted by this Caribbean nation included a depiction of the final battle of the Haitian War of Independence in 1803 on its front.

In the words of Colombian sportswear manufacturer Saeta, it was a “tribute to the men and women who contribute every day to Haiti’s future.”

It didn’t go down too well with FIFA, which rejected the image during its approval process, deeming it too political.

So an updated blue soccer kit was needed, one that no longer includes the battle artwork.

Argentina’s swirling paint technique

The defending World Cup champion is mixing sporting heritage with artistic expression in its jerseys.

The home kit — worn by Lionel Messi for his hat trick against Algeria on Tuesday — features three shades of blue on its stripes, an homage to the South American nation’s World Cup-winning uniforms from 1978, 1986 and 2022.

As for its dark blue away jersey, that’s inspired by a traditional painting technique from capital city Buenos Aires — filete porteño — that’s used for ornamental design, combining brilliant, swirling colors with specific lettering styles.

France’s American connection

France arrived for the World Cup with an away kit that honors a gift the nation famously gave to the United States: the Statue of Liberty.

The jersey has a green hue that resembles the oxidized color of the iconic sculpture designed by a Frenchman — Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi — and given to the United States in 1886 as a symbol of French-American friendship.

On the jersey is a logo in copper — the original color of the statue — with the words “Nos différences nous unissent” (Our differences unite us).

Iran’s endangered Asiatic cheetah

The most striking imagery on Iran’s home (white) and away (red) kits is an Asiatic cheetah low across the front.

There also are cheetah spots on the sleeves up to the shoulder.

The Asiatic cheetah, an equally fast cousin of the African cat, is one of the world’s critically endangered species — one that Iran has long tried to save.

There were as many as 400 in the 1990s but the numbers have dwindled to fewer than an estimated 70 remaining in Iran.

Norway’s runic font

Norway’s kit might be the sharpest at the World Cup — literally.

The font used for the names and numbers of players is inspired by runic writing — characters in several Germanic alphabets used in northern Europe from ancient times until the adoption of the Latin alphabet.

The writing is pointy, geometric and easily visible, representing the Norwegian team’s desire to embrace its centuries-old history.

Flanking the large blue cross across the chest are Viking art patterns in an Urnes style.

Colombia’s yellow butterflies

Look closely at Colombia’s typically vibrant yellow jersey and you’ll notice a burst of butterfly patterns.

That’s an homage to the classic novel by the nation’s Nobel Prize-winning author, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, “One Hundred Years of Solitude,” and the stories that made him literature’s best-known practitioner of magical realism — the blending of the everyday with fantastical elements such as a man trailed by a cloud of yellow butterflies.

Mexico’s Aztec calendar

Mexico’s home jersey brings back the Aztec calendar design that was popular in the 1990s.

In the run-up to the World Cup, the team visited the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City and posed for a photo with the uniforms in front of the Aztec “Piedra de Sol” or Stone of the Sun, best known as the Aztec calendar.

Saudi Arabia’s architecture

Dotted across Saudi Arabia’s dark green home jersey are symmetrical lavender squares or diamond shapes, a tribute to doorway decoration — namely geometric, triangular architecture — commonly seen in homes in the kingdom.

Wild lavender flowers fill Saudi’s desert landscapes in springtime, so purple is a celebrated color in the nation and regarded as a symbol of generosity.

Brazil’s Amazonian frogs

What might immediately jump out when looking at Brazil’s navy blue-and-black away jersey made by Nike is a yellow “Jumpman” logo synonymous with Michael Jordan-promoted sportswear.

However, more closely linked to Brazilian culture is the color of the kit, inspired by the skin of the poison dart frog found in the Amazon. It’s a nod to the danger posed by Brazil, the record five-time world champion.

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This story has been corrected to remove a reference to Haiti as a World Cup debutant. This is Haiti’s second World Cup.

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Associated Press writer Luis Andres Henao contributed to this report.

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