‘Unwanted shoulder pads’: An issue has emerged with Nike soccer shirts ahead of the World Cup

• Nike’s soccer shirts to be worn by players at the FIFA World Cup appear to have a design issue.
• Material was seen bulging at the shoulders of footballers in recent international matches.
• The issue was raised on X by a sports journalist. Fans have complained about their version of the shirts.

With just two months to go before the FIFA World Cup kicks off, design issues have emerged with the Nike shirts to be worn by several teams in the tournament, including the USA and Canada.

Soccer’s biggest event, hosted jointly by the US, Canada and Mexico, gets underway on June 11 with the opening match in Mexico City.

During international matches played since Nike unveiled its World Cup kits on March 16, several soccer players were seen with shirts bulging at the shoulder.

Prominent Spanish football journalist Alejandro Mendo raised the issue with his 14.6 million followers on X.

“You’ve all seen the unwanted shoulder pads on the Nike shirts for the World Cup,” he said. “What seemed like a minor aesthetic detail has turned into a global controversy.”

Sharing images of international players with bulging material at the shoulders, Mendo added: “Nike acknowledges the problem. These aren’t isolated cases, but something structural in the design.”

Soccer fans have also reported similar issues with their versions of the shirt, with one posting on Reddit: “Its actually a complete joke.”

Showing off his Canada shirt, the fan added: “The way the shoulders are sewn together just make them bunch like this no matter what. This is a stupid, STUPID design.”

Business Insider contacted Nike for comment and didn’t get a response on Saturday.

Some 48 teams have qualified for the tournament, the highest number in its history. The final takes place at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 19.