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PHOTOS: The World Cup Is A Spectacle Not Only Of Sport, But Of Style

Former Spain footballer Iker Casillas and model Natalia Vodianova next to the World Cup and its custom Louis Vuitton case.
Michael Regan
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FIFA via Getty Images
Former Spain footballer Iker Casillas and model Natalia Vodianova next to the World Cup and its custom Louis Vuitton case.

Soccer is not only "the beautiful game" — it's also a highly fashionable one.

Before the World Cup even started, the breakout winner of football fashion was Nigeria. With the Super Eagles' classic green turned into jazzy zigzags by Nike, its jersey became a highly anticipated item not just for soccer fans, but for streetwear hypebeasts.

Nike successfully marketed its Nigeria jerseys not just as sports gear, but streetwear.
/ Nike
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Nike
Nike successfully marketed its Nigeria jerseys not just as sports gear, but streetwear.

Long queues formed outside the Nike store on London when the kits went on sale June 1, and they sold out immediately online.

More overlooked has been the Nigerians' style off the pitch. Check out the team en route to Russia, looking suave in white fedoras and green-tasseled loafers.

You'd be forgiven for confusing the tarmacs in Russia for a catwalk in Milan. If there's one thing we remember every four years, it's that sporting men in matching, well-tailored suits make an impression. Man buns optional, but encouraged.

Take the Iran squad, for instance.

Or Cristiano Ronaldo and Team Portugal.

Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo waves as his team arrives at their base camp on the outskirts of Moscow last week.
Francisco Leong / AFP/Getty Images
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AFP/Getty Images
Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo waves as his team arrives at their base camp on the outskirts of Moscow last week.

And Iceland, World Cup rookies.

Birkir Bjarnason (C) of Iceland.
Valery Matytsin / Valery Matytsin/TASS
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Valery Matytsin/TASS
Birkir Bjarnason (C) of Iceland.

FIFA, never shy around sponsorship opportunities, made a deal with Louis Vuitton to design a carrying case for the World Cup trophy.

Just before kickoff at the opening game on Thursday, Russian supermodel Natalia Vodianova was there to introduce the Cup, which was awkwardly perched in its custom luggage.

Croatia's kit for the 2018 World Cup
Simon Hofmann / FIFA via Getty Images
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FIFA via Getty Images
Croatia's kit for the 2018 World Cup

But now that the games have started, all eyes are on the pitch. (Did you see Portugal vs. Spain today? Incredible match.) And with the exception of Nigeria, most of the uniforms look ... a lot like they always do.

You can keep wearing your hot yellow Brazil jersey from 12 years ago, because except for some minor futzing around the collar, it's the same. Ditto Argentina, with its trademark sky blue and white stripes.

And Croatia! We'd know your red-and-white checks anywhere, even if they have extra pizzazz this year.

The kits for Japan, whose team is known as the Samurai Blue, have extra flair and are in fact samurai-inspired, with a dark indigo color that symbolizes victory.

Japan's samurai-inspired jersey.
Robbie Jay Barratt / AMA/Getty Images
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AMA/Getty Images
Japan's samurai-inspired jersey.

Meanwhile, the most unlikely fashion display so far belongs to the trendsetters at the United Nations Security Council, who wore their countries' jerseys to work on Thursday.

Security Council members wore soccer jerseys on Thursday at the United Nations in New York.
Don Emmert / AFP/Getty Images
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AFP/Getty Images
Security Council members wore soccer jerseys on Thursday at the United Nations in New York.

This year's Cup is missing the bright oranje of Holland and the deep azzurri of Italy, as neither team qualified. And we'll never know what the U.S. kits might have looked like.

Denim? Hoops? Both? A reporter can dream.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Laurel Wamsley is a reporter for NPR's News Desk. She reports breaking news for NPR's digital coverage, newscasts, and news magazines, as well as occasional features. She was also the lead reporter for NPR's coverage of the 2019 Women's World Cup in France.