Nike's World Cup Kits: The Shoulder Seam Bulge Explained

When Nike’s World Cup kits debuted in March, many fans identified a bizarre detail: an unsightly bulge along the shoulder seam.

The bulge was subtle on some players while on others, such as France’s Kylian Mbappé, it was borderline comical.

It felt entirely unrealistic that the design of the shirts would be fundamentally changed with only three months left before the start of the World Cup, and on Wednesday, a source familiar with Nike’s plan confirmed that they hadn’t altered the shirts in any way.

What Nike had done, the source told the Guardian, is offer instructions to member federations in terms of how to care for the jerseys: wash them before wearing them, and steam the shoulder seams.

Nike had acknowledged the issue publicly when it was raised in March, saying in a statement to the Guardian at the time that “the overall aesthetic is not where it needs to be”.

A source within Nike also said then that the company was in active conversation with the federations they outfit and retail vendors, and that they were searching for a solution to the issue.

Different handling of the jerseys, it seems, is that solution.

The tips do seem to have worked a bit, as the problem seemed a bit less present in May and June friendlies in the buildup to the World Cup, which begins Thursday in Mexico City.

Still, the issue stands as a rare miss for Nike, which boasted about the design process of the shirts, stressing the use of “computational design” and “a highly specialized, stitch-specific knitting process to help athletes stay cool”.

That computational process, a source confirmed in March, was driven by performance data and incorporated elements of AI to work alongside the company’s designers as they crafted the kits.

Shoulder issue notwithstanding, many of the kits have been popular among fans, particularly those of the United States.

The team will take the field against Paraguay in Los Angeles on Friday night wearing a red-and-white, flag-themed top that has quickly become ever-present at US matches.

The US have long partnered with Nike and the sportswear giant crafted a pair of distinctive looks for the team: the striped kit and a dark blue look with sublimated stars that shimmer slightly and vary in visibility depending on the light.

But while players on the field will look put-together, fans in the stands may still be left shouldering the issue until they buy a steamer.