Youth Creative Collective Reimagines World Cup 2026 Kits Through Young Designers’ Eyes

Amid the spectacle and intensity of the World Cup, a quieter creative story emerges from Design FC. Their Youth Creative Collective (YCC) invites young designers from around the world to reimagine national team jerseys for the 2026 tournament. This youth-led project blends national identity, personal experience, and creative storytelling, offering a fresh perspective on what a national kit can represent.

How the Youth Creative Collective Works

Design FC operates at the intersection of sport and creativity, providing access, opportunities, and platforms for self-expression. The global YCC World Cup ‘26 initiative partnered with 37 organisations worldwide, identifying a Youth Leader in each country to guide the creative process. Young designers were invited to create jersey designs that act as both canvas and conduit for identity, emotion, and lived experience.

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Jersey Designs from Around the World

Each design carries a deeply personal story, rooted in local culture, symbolism, and the designer’s own journey. The following projects represent just a few of the voices in the collection.

Natsuki – Tokyo, Japan

18-year-old Natsuki, a member of the inclusive girls’ team FC RESIA, created a jersey featuring traditional Japanese symbols – koi, Mt. Fuji, and flowing wave motifs woven with patterns representing safety and good fortune. The most powerful detail sits almost hidden: a caterpillar in one corner, a butterfly in the other. “Sometimes I feel left behind,” she shared, “but I believe that one day I, too, will become a butterfly.” It is a quiet message of perseverance.

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Geremi Alexander López Sánchez – Colombia

16-year-old Geremi Alexander López Sánchez, working with the Línea Subterránea Foundation, combined indigenous symbolism with natural icons – a jaguar, condor, and pink river dolphin. When assembled, the jersey forms the silhouette of Colombia’s map. “Colombia is much more than a country marked by violence,” he explained. “It is culture, creativity, identity, and expression.”

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Marcus Crooks – Aberdeen, Scotland

17-year-old Marcus Crooks, who grew up in the Denis Law Legacy Trust programmes and now volunteers, took a tactile approach. He rolled oil-based ink across the Scotland flag, washed it away to mimic the unpredictability of Scottish weather, and pressed jar lids into fabric to form yellow circles symbolising community warmth. Red zigzag lines inspired by his hometown wrap the jersey. “They represent the bonds formed within the community,” he said, lines that remain unchanged.

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Marie Pierre Diedhiou – Senegal

14-year-old Marie Pierre Diedhiou, a participant in the Força Foundation’s football programme in Dakar, centred her design on the green, yellow, and red of the national flag – colours of hope, cultural wealth, and sacrifice. At its heart sits the lion, emblem of both the national team and the Senegalese people. “It is the perfect embodiment of an entire nation,” she said.

Zeno Bridges – Auckland, New Zealand

12-year-old Zeno Bridges created a design reflecting Aotearoa New Zealand’s identity and its place within the Pacific. Incorporating the Southern Cross, the local mountain Puketāpapa, and the Niho Taniwha pattern, his jersey connects all 13 Oceania Football nations through interlocking triangular forms. “This shows who we are,” he explained. “Connected, diverse countries who stand together.”

Exhibitions and Global Showcase

The designs are being showcased through a rolling programme of social media features and physical exhibitions across World Cup host cities. New York marked the first stop, with Oakland, California, next. Each location provides a platform for these young creatives to share their work and their voices with a global audience.

Projects like the Youth Creative Collective demonstrate how creative soccer culture continues to grow in influence. By handing creative control to young voices around the world, Design FC helps reshape how identity, representation, and storytelling are expressed through the game, while championing and inspiring the next generation of creatives.

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