Soccer

Ranking the ugliest kits in world football history

For a sport often described as the “beautiful game,” football has certainly seen an abundance of ugly uniforms over the years. Goalkeeper tops alone have featured some truly hideous designs, but the men between the sticks have mercifully been excluded from this list. Those with weak stomachs should proceed with caution as we rank the ugliest kits in world football history.

10. United States, 1994

Teams at the 1994 World Cup apparently loved experimenting with early versions of Adobe Photoshop to design some truly hideous uniforms. Look no further than the hosts, as the United States marched onto the pitch sporting absurdly large stars emblazoned on faux-denim tops.

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9. 1860 Munich, 2010

1860 Munich’s attempt to honor the club’s most iconic moments on a 150th-anniversary shirt spawned a complete mess. Luckily, supporters had the option to reverse the top – to reveal another grisly sight.

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8. Hull City, 1992-93

The orange and black stripes weren’t enough. Hull City took their nickname to the next level with a kit straight from the wardrobe of “Tiger King” villainess Carole Baskin. Unfortunately, the look didn’t seem to strike fear into opponents, as Hull finished the season sitting 20th in the old Second Division.

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7. Liverpool, 2013-14

Other than the badge, nothing about this third kit from the 2013-14 campaign gave the impression that it had anything to do with Liverpool. It’s not unusual for teams to experiment with unconventional designs for their third kits, but this one missed the mark by a mile.

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6. Chelsea, 1994-96

Not even Dutch legend Ruud Gullit could pull this one off. Chelsea’s kit designer seemingly mashed several designs together to produce this sight for sore eyes.

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5. Athletic Bilbao, 2004-05

If Athletic Bilbao’s aim was to make their players look like they’d just visited a slaughterhouse, they nailed it with this blood-spatter ensemble to mark the club’s 100-year anniversary.

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4. Coventry City, 1992-93

Hungry opponents were doomed when they went up against Coventry City almost 30 years ago when the club donned a top that appeared to pay homage to deli meats.

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3. Reggina, 2011-12

Reggina offered a solution for those struggling with body-image issues when they unveiled this gem of a uniform. Instead of going to the gym, fans of the Italian third-division club merely had to buy one of these naked-torso tops to instantly look jacked.

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2. CD Palencia, 2016-17

CD Palencia went with the “inside out” look and, well, it was pretty much one of the most unsettling uniforms ever created. Though predators with a taste for human flesh might find it appealing, it’s hard to imagine why anyone would green-light this hot mess of a design instead of laughing in the face of its architect.

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1. Colorado Caribous, 1978

As far as ugly football shirts go, the Colorado Caribous’ kit is the Holy Grail. The club folded after one season, but the horrors of its uniform will live on forever thanks to its hideous color scheme, ridiculously large collar, and – the mother of all eyesores – beige tassels.

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