How hot pink became the unofficial colour of the World Cup

At the World Cup the colour is hard to miss. Dominik Livaković’s goalkeeper kit has been hot pink, matching the shirts worn by officials in Saudi Arabia’s match against Uruguay, and players from Croatia and England have been seen in pink boots. Dozens more have worn the shade in brands including Nike, Adidas, Puma and New Balance.

“Everywhere you look, the boots are pink: fluoro pink, hot pink, fuchsia pink. Once you notice it, you can’t unsee it,” a recent GQ piece observed. Bright pink’s mainstream return was fuelled by Barbiecore in 2023, and the trend forecaster WGSN predicted “electric fuchsia” would be popular again in 2024.

Sara Maggioni, head of womenswear, calls the shade “probably one of the most influential colour stories of the past decade.” She adds: “A lot of young people probably watch matches on their phones and so the colour [which is easily seen] does your branding,” noting too that pink contrasts well against the green of the grass.

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