The quiet power of good graphic design is on show in the World Cup for all to experience.
From Viking runes to English heraldry, Argentina’s folk art and Belgium’s comic book hero Tintin, football jerseys are a surprisingly influential site for graphic design. As two UNSW Design academics who have represented Australia in sport, we think graphic design for the World Cup deserves a nomination for most valuable player.
England and Argentina will face off in one of football’s great rivalries on Thursday at 5AM AEST. It will be a fixture shaped by moments like Maradona’s ‘hand of God’ goal, which knocked England out of the 1986 World Cup quarter final. Or David Beckham’s 1998 red card that the tabloids blamed for Argentina’s match win, or even Lionel Messi finally lifting the trophy in 2022.
Throughout the 2026 World Cup we have watched as the new heroes of the game have defended, assisted and found the back of the net to lead their teams to victory, however the success of the tournament has been shaped not only by athletic excellence but also by design. As players’ skill and speed have dominated the field, so too has the rich visual language of colour, typography, and symbols of the cultures and histories they represent. Graphic design has played a vital role in igniting national identity and fuelling the tribal passions of global sporting audiences.
Norway’s viking vibe for the World Cup
Few teams illustrate this better than Norway.
Returning to the World Cup after 28 years in the wilderness, the Norwegian Football Federation worked with Nike’s design team to create a Viking inspired typeface for player names and numbers called Taakeferd, which translates as “journey through the fog”. The design successfully balances the direct nod to a fierce Nordic heritage with FIFA’s strict rules on legibility for players, officials, spectators and the media.
The letterforms are inspired by an ancient runic alphabet used throughout Scandinavia during the Viking Age. It’s not the first time Norway has used this style of typeface, but this time the designers carefully translated the distinctive angular geometry of ancient runes to a contemporary latin font, while still evoking the drums and oar-stroke of an incoming Viking ship.
This is what makes major sporting events like the World Cup such a fascinating occasion for designers. The uniforms alone do incredible work as … a way for fans to connect.
Argentina brings folk art to the pitch
Argentina’s kit demonstrates a different kind of design approach.
Designed by Adidas, the 2026 away jersey references Fileteado Porteño, a decorative folk art from the streets of Buenos Aires that form a distinctly Argentinian visual identity. Its hand-painted aesthetic and particular decorative flourishes appear as swirling motifs of blue on black.
But it is the home jersey that reveals another graphic design superpower.
The light blue and white stripes of the Argentina home jersey has barely changed across generations. It has become synonymous with Maradona, Messi, three World Cup wins and some of football’s most striking moments. This relates to a theory called Availability Heuristic, whereby it’s easy to recall and recognise visual cues if you have seen them enough times. The repetition of so many iconic filmed moments with the light blue and white striped jersey means it is one of the strongest visual identities on the pitch – particularly for England fans.
England’s World Cup jersey is a subtle showcase
England’s visual identity has evolved in a different way.
While the lilywhite jersey is also familiar, the Football Association has previously turned to famous graphic designers like Neville Brody for its football identity. With a permanent place in the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Brody’s work is synonymous with the wild music, magazines and style of 1980s and 1990s England. He has designed bespoke typefaces for the men’s and women’s national teams, the Lions and the much more successful Lionesses.
The 2026 Nike jersey continues that tradition, although in a more subdued manner. At first glance, the jersey seems simple, but woven into the jacquard fabric are tonal lions, Tudor roses and other subtle nods to English heritage. The collar contains the words “Happy and Glorious”, referencing the national anthem, and both the white and red kits follow a familiar, traditional England jersey style.
Belgium Cup strip puts art in the picture
The Royal Belgium Football Association and Adidas regularly use the away kit to create a visually recognisable and innovative homage to Belgian arts.
The 2024 away kit design honoured the comic Tintin by Belgian cartoonist Hergé, recreating the young reporter’s famous clothing with a blue jersey with white collar, brown shorts and white socks. It was a sophisticated and playful take on Franco-Belgian comic culture, called Bandes Dessinée, a grouping which also includes Asterix, The Smurfs and the prolific comic artist Moebius.
At the 2026 World Cup, the distinctive light blue and pink away jerseys that the Belgian team wore when they defeated USA pictured elements from René Magritte’s 1931 painting Voice of Space (la voix des airs), brilliantly showcasing Belgian culture to a global audience.
This is what makes major sporting events like the World Cup such a fascinating occasion for designers. The uniforms alone do incredible work as visual identity, souvenirs, a way for fans to connect to the sport and to their nations, to declare favour on one player over another, and to select a jersey that best represents them. They are photographed and broadcast to billions of viewers, and for many become the main visual representation of countries they may never otherwise encounter.
On Thursday morning, England and Argentina will compete for a place in the World Cup final. But before that first whistle, they will have already represented their nations through the carefully designed uniforms that they so proudly wear. From interwoven English heraldry to Buenos Aires folk art, to the famous blue and white stripes of Argentina’s footballing history, the quiet power of graphic design has already done its work.
As designers, illustrators, educators, and former Australian athletes, we know that this proud representation begins long before the ball is first kicked.
Emma Mills and Dr Rebecca Green are both Senior Lecturers in Graphic Design at the School of Art & Design, UNSW Sydney. Both have also represented Australia at an elite level in their respective sports, Emma in rowing and Rebecca in taekwondo.
