From Fashion Trend To Football Pitch: How Pink Became The Unexpected Colour Of The World Cup
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Anyone who has tuned into the World Cup over the past couple of weeks has probably noticed that football is thinking pink. From England and Ghana's fuchsia boots to goalkeepers Benjamin Asare and Dominik Livaković's fluorescent jerseys seen during their respective matches against England, the tournament's unofficial dress code has been unexpectedly fashion-forward.
The numbers back it up. Major manufacturers released football boots in vivid pink colourways ahead of the tournament, with 365 of the 528 starting players wearing them. According to Brendan Dunne of resale platform StockX, ‘among the most popular football boot silhouettes on the platform, the top-selling colourways are pink.’
The timing couldn't be more fitting. In 2024, Coloro x WGSN predicted that ‘Electric Fuchsia’ would be the shade of 2026. And, just like clockwork, as the SS26 runway collections began to unfold, it quickly became clear that one of the defining colours of the season would be a saturated, unapologetic pink.
At Cecilie Bahnsen, a vibrant pink petticoat-style dress was paired with Asics x Cecilie Bahnsen sneakerinas, while at Dries Van Noten, a maximalist approach was explored by way of glittering Bermuda shorts and an embellished fuchsia cape. MM6 Masion Margiela presented a pretty pink mini dress, Chemena Kamali continued her boho reign at Chloé with a floaty magenta top, while Fendi co-signed co-ords with a perfectly proper knitted two-piece, complete with matching bag, and realised in (you guessed it) pink.
Where pink might be easily associated with fashion and femininity, it doesn’t immediately jump to mind when football is the focus – yet its significance in the game goes beyond simply standing out on the pitch. In 2020, The Guardian reported that an impressive 636 Premier League goals had been scored by players wearing pink boots during the 2019-20 season, compared with only 36 by players in black footwear.
While the figures don't prove the colour itself improves performance, they reflect how quickly elite players have embraced brighter boots – and why brands continue to invest in them.
‘If a colour signals success, teams will take note,’ says Felicia Pennant, founder and editor of football and fashion publication SEASON zine. ‘Brands do extensive product development. They deep dive into the psychological reactions to colours, looking at stats and analysing how players perform. If their research flags pink as a good colour to go with, then that's what they do.’ It's a strategy reflected across the market, with adidas, Puma, Nike, Skechers and New Balance all placing fuchsia at the centre of their World Cup footwear offerings.
Performance, however, is only part of the story. Fuchsia has also become shorthand for individuality. Just as Dries Van Noten's pink summer sequins defy seasonal boundaries, or Cecilie Bahnsen's sculptural magenta silhouettes reject minimalism, footballers are increasingly using colour to express personality as much as performance.
'At the highest level of the game, visibility matters, not only for the athlete wearing the product, but also in how the game is experienced by fans in the stadium and through broadcast,' says Thomas Mace, Vice President of Design at adidas football. 'Beyond performance, football has become increasingly expressive, and players today are looking for ways to showcase confidence and personality. Pink sits at the intersection of visibility, energy and self-expression.'
There is of course a little irony surrounding the idea that fuchsia is the unofficial colour of this World Cup. For decades, pink in football was often shorthand for women's sport. ‘Historically, when making women's football merchandise, brands would just shrink it and pink it,’ says Pennant. ‘But by using the global stage of this tournament to signal that pink is okay, that visibility filters down into society and signals that anyone can wear pink.’
That cultural growth extends well beyond sport and fashion. According to cognitive psychologist and The Psychology of Fashion author Dr Carolyn Mair, the colour has undergone a broader transformation. ‘The popularity of hot pink in both fashion and football reflects a wider cultural shift towards visibility, self-expression and confidence,’ Mair explained to ELLE. ‘Psychologically, pink has evolved from a traditionally gendered colour into a symbol of individuality and boldness. On a football pitch, just as on a catwalk, it captures attention, signals confidence and helps people stand out in an increasingly image-driven world.’
This summer, football and fashion are firmly speaking the same language.
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Julia Storm is the Multiplatform Fashion Editor at ELLE UK, where she spotlights emerging designers, highlights breakout trends and shares considered shopping intel. She previously held roles at British Vogue, contributing to both print and digital platforms. Follow her on instagram @juliaa_storm