The 2026 World Cup tournament is officially underway, with scores of football fans flocking to Mexico City's Estadio Azteca on Thursday for a star-studded opening ceremony performance by Shakira. Yet it won't just be the sport that onlookers will be paying attention to over the next month - with avid fans also keen to observe the fashion choices made by members of the record 48 teams.
The 2026 World Cup tournament is officially underway, with scores of football fans flocking to Mexico City's Estadio Azteca on Thursday for a star-studded opening ceremony performance by Shakira.
Yet it won't just be the sport that onlookers will be paying attention to over the next month - with avid fans also keen to observe the fashion choices made by members of the record 48 teams. In recent years, there has been a rise in designer fashion brands working closely alongside players and clubs for both their official kit and day-to-day attire.
Meanwhile, the England players are leading the charge with their luxury Hermes Birkin bags, which they showcased when travelling to the US. But while today's football players may have the fortune of stylists and fashion guidance, some of their previous looks selected off the pitch have certainly proven that money can't always buy style.
From David Beckham's purple suit to Lionel Messi's bright metallic version and Kalvin Phillips's rather niche shoe choice, there are an abundance of footballers susceptible to a fashion faux pas. The Daily Mail takes a look at the most memorable football player fashion fails below. David Beckham When David Beckham tied the knot with Victoria in 1999, the pair opted for unconventional purple suits as their wedding attire.
Later reflecting on their unusual attire, David said: 'I try to think back to when I decided to wear a purple suit and I don't know when that happened...
'I think I just took Victoria's lead on it but what were we thinking?! ' Having no regrets on her end, Victoria quipped: 'It was fun! ' In 1998, football sensation David Beckham suffered what is widely regarded as one of the biggest fashion mistakes of his career when he stepped out in a wraparound skirt with his wife, Victoria Beckham.
The footballer-turned-fashion-mogul's famous sarong was worn with silver sandals and a black sleeveless T-shirt as the couple embarked on a night out. Comedians Ronni Ancona and Alistair McGowan even poked fun at the unusual outfit choice in their satirical sketch show Alistair McGowan's Big Impression.
However, despite the backlash, David has always been insistent that he has zero regrets for opting to wear the skirt and insisted that he would be happy to put one on again. Speaking on ITV morning show Lorraine in 2014, he said: 'Sarongs are great. That's one thing I never regret because I thought it looked great and I would still wear it now.
'Over the years it's not just myself, everybody looks back at old pictures of themselves and thinks, 'I can't believe I wore that, or I wish I hadn't wore that, or what was I thinking? ' 'You make mistakes over the years or you wear things that were right at the time.
' Lionel Messi At the FIFA Ballon d'Or awards, Argentinian football player Lionel Messi stepped out in a bright red suit that gained an abundance of public attention, but not all positive. 'Everyone is rocking a black tux and Messi shows up in a red one like he's Beyonce,' commented one X user at the time.
With Ronaldo outscoring Messi by 14 goals in 2013, the Barcelona wizard perhaps knew he was likely to miss out on the Ballon d'Or for the first time and sought to make a statement with his red silky number. The garish red suit stood out among the crowd of black, however it failed to bring him any good luck on the night.
Oli McBurnie Pulling his socks up as high as possible, Oli McBurnie certainly made a statement with this tracksuit choice. The Sheffield United and Scotland star was captured posing with his socks pulled up high - a deviation from his unusually low socks worn on the pitch. Revealing the reasoning behind his bizarre sock habit in 2017, the sportsman said: 'Like most players, I used to wear socks above my knees, but that all changed when I arrived at Chester.
They were in the Conference at the time and did not have a lot of spare kit.
'When I was given the socks they had no elastic left in them, so would not stay up. I played two or three games with them falling down throughout the game.
'By the fourth game I couldn't be bothered anymore and just kept them down. I ended up playing the best game I ever played and scored my first goal for Chester. Since then I haven't changed the style. Everyone asks me so it's good to set the record straight
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