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Ever scrolled through social media during the FIFA World Cup and found yourself confused by team jerseys? You're not alone in wondering why certain football teams' kits don't match their national flags
Countries like Australia, Japan, the Netherlands, and New Zealand hit the pitch in kits that don't reflect their flag colours at all.
As it turns out, there is fascinating historical lore behind these design choices.
Australia: The green and gold colours are an homage to its national flower, the Golden Wattle
Even though the Australian flag only features red, white, and blue, the country's sports teams have traditionally worn green and gold since the late 1800s.
Green and gold are Australia's official national colours, inspired by the Golden Wattle (Acacia pycnantha), its national flower that features green leaves and golden-yellow blossoms.
The use of these colours in sports dates back to the late 19th century (beginning with cricket) to distinguish the Australian team from other Commonwealth nations, most of which primarily used the British flag's colour combination of blue, white, and red.
Japan: The choice of Japan's kit colour is closely linked to historical factors and a belief in luck
At the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, the Japanese football team wore blue shirts for the first time and pulled off a massive upset by defeating a strong European side, Sweden, 3-2. Since that historic victory, the colour blue has been believed to bring 'luck' to their football.
Japan did once try to match its kit colours with its national flag. Between 1988 and 1991, manager Kenzo Yokoyama switched the home shirt to red and white.
This change was widely seen as a jinx, as Japan suffered a dismal run of form and failed to qualify for both the 1990 FIFA World Cup and the 1992 Olympic Games.
Blaming the shirt colour for their misfortune, the experiment with red was immediately abandoned, and Japan returned to the 'lucky' blue they still wear to this day.
The Netherlands: The colour orange was chosen as a tribute to the Dutch royal family, the House of Orange-Nassau
Its history dates back to the 16th century when William of Orange led a popular uprising to liberate the Netherlands from Spanish rule.
The original Dutch flag (Prinsenvlag) actually featured orange, white, and blue. Around the mid-17th century, the orange stripe was changed to red.
Historians believe this was either because the orange dye tended to fade to red at sea, or due to political shifts away from the monarchy.
Even though their flag's colours changed to red, white, and blue, orange remains the national symbol and the ultimate identity of Dutch sports fans.
New Zealand: While the rugby squad claims 'All Blacks', the football team became the 'All Whites' in 1982
While their rugby team is famous for their black kit (nicknamed the All Blacks), the national football team opted for the exact opposite, choosing white as their primary home kit.
In their first international match in 1922, New Zealand actually wore an all-black kit. Throughout the 20th century, they usually played in white shirts, white socks, and black shorts.
The nickname All Whites officially stuck during the 1982 World Cup qualifying campaign, when they wore an all-white kit to distinguish their sporting identity from the rugby team.
