Mexico unveil third alternate kit, a rarity at 2026 World Cup – ESPN

With their FIFA World Cup co-hosting duties set to begin in less than a month’s time, Mexico have added a new third alternate kit to the impressively stylish jersey roster they will be rocking at the 2026 finals.
Pairing nicely with the ultra-smart home and away shirts that Adidas and El Tri have already released, the additional third kit is the fruit of a collaboration with Mexican clothing brand Someone Somewhere and is inspired by the nation’s proud World Cup hosting history.
The jersey has been created both as a symbol of national unity and to mark the third occasion on which Mexico have hosted a men’s World Cup, having previously staged tournaments in 1970 and 1986.
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The shirt is predominantly black with a subtle Aztec-influenced zig-zag pattern in the material that is made up of stylized M and X lettering. Imbued with national pride, this design was created by rural artists and artisans who are supported by the Someone Somewhere label.
The trim is taken from the Mexican tricolore with the green, red and white of the national flag used to great effect on the fantastic federation crest, the Adidas trefoil and the stripes on the sleeves.
Despite FIFA changing its rules in 2022 to allow each national team to submit more than two kits for tournaments, in a bid to help alleviate color clashes, only a smattering of teams have created third alternates for 2026. Mexico are the latest to unveil their tertiary option, but there are a select number of others to peruse.
In what perhaps should have been their away shirt (rather than the gruesome black splotchy design they ended up with), Mexico’s fellow co-hosts Canada have a third shirt which is white with a giant maple leaf graphic on the front and rear that subtly helps break the shirt up into quarters.
Just as lively as their home and away kits, DR Congo’s red and yellow third kit has a swirled “oil on water” graphic that spans the shoulders and sleeves. Very colorful.
Listed as a “second away kit,” Ecuador’s third jersey is a retro-styled white shirt with a blocky blue V-neck collar, tricolore panels beneath the arms and a ruffled texture to the material.
Utilizing the same template as both their home and away kits (complete with a silhouetted image of a group of freedom fighters), Haiti’s third shirt is basically a solid red variant that completes the full set of national colors across their three World Cup kits.
Norway’s super stealthy “blackout” World Cup away kit actually has a “whiteout” variant that has been designated as a third kit. The core design is equally minimal with the official color palette ranging all the way from white to “pure platinum.”

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