This summer, the eyes of the whole world have turned to Russia to see which country will emerge victorious at the 2018 World Cup. But one nation we wish we could be rooting for is notably absent from the globe’s most popular sporting event. No, we’re not talking about the United States—we’re talking about Wakanda. But even though we can’t cheer for the Black Panther soccer team, we can still appreciate how stylish they would have looked on the pitch, thanks to one artist who imagined what the team’s uniforms might have looked like.
Buffalo-based illustrator and graphic designer Mark Yesilevskiy created beautiful home and away jerseys for the Wakanda national football team (who likely didn’t qualify for the tournament because half their team recently disappeared). The home uniforms are inspired by the iconic look of Wakanda’s greatest hero, the Black Panther. While an all-black jersey would normally pose problems for athletes running around outside in the summer, we doubt Shuri would have much trouble coming up with a piece of technologically enhanced material that doesn’t attract the sun.
For his red away jerseys, which might be even better, Yesilevskiy took inspiration from the traditional dress of the Dora Mijaje, Wakanda’s famed all-female fighting force.
Somewhere in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Wakanda’s team took the field in uniforms based on the country’s badass women and it was awesome. It was probably a great pick-me-up after that whole Thanos dusting thing.
The only downside to these gorgeous jerseys? They are only designs and we can’t actually wear them to show who we wish we could root for at this year’s World Cup.
Wakanda Soccer Forever!
Images: Mark Yesilevskiy
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