Canada won’t be wearing red for its first-ever World Cup knockout match this Sunday. Instead, they’ll be back in black as they play against South Africa in Los Angeles.
This is the second time Canada is donning black for their games, and here’s why.
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Why Is Canada Wearing Black For Its World Cup Knockout Match?
Any Canadian can tell you that red and white are the country’s traditional colours. They even wore the iconic colour combo during their match against Switzerland at BC Place on Wednesday. Although red and white are the shades that Canada is best known for, black is also a special colour for them.
While the jersey rotation is up to FIFA, the options available for FIFA to pick from is dependent on Canada Soccer’s kit supplier, Nike.
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Colours are often selected to maximize contrast. A FIFA spokesperson explained that Canada Soccer (including the 47 other teams) declared a month before the World Cup what their primary and alternative kits will be. This means there are different kits that teams can wear, with one designated for Team A and the other for Team B. Team A generally wears the country’s primary option. FIFA then selects Team B’s kit, making sure that there is no clash between the outfits.
Reportedly, black jerseys are quite popular with fans. One online commenter said, “Good looking kit. In the end who cares. There is a game to play it doesn’t matter what colour you have on your back.”
Another wrote, “The kits are sharp and have plenty of goals in them. Of course it doesn’t much matter what the jerseys are but this will be a good look for the knockout round.”
