Nike’s World Cup Shirts Come With Built-In Shoulder Bulges, No Pads Needed

KEY POINTS

•Nike unveiled its 2026 World Cup soccer shirts on March 16, featuring an unexpected shoulder bulge issue.
•Spanish journalist Alejandro Mendo publicly criticized the shirts on X, reaching 14.6 million followers with his observations.
•Fans, including a Canadian Reddit poster, have complained their fan versions fit poorly due to shoulder seam design problems.

With the FIFA World Cup set to kick off June 11 in Mexico City, Nike’s 2026 soccer jerseys are making history for an all-new reason: accidental fashion disasters. Since their March 16 unveiling, international players like Uruguay’s Federico Valverde have been sporting shoulder bulges that look less 'athletic fit' and more 'dad blazer circa 1985.' Renowned Spanish journalist Alejandro Mendo broke the shoulder pad scandal to his 14.6 million X followers, calling it an 'unwanted shoulder pad' saga that Nike admits is a structural defect—not a style choice. Meanwhile, Canadian fans on Reddit are calling their fan-version shirts 'a complete joke,' complaining that the seams refuse to behave. Business Insider got radio silence from Nike on April 20, while 48 teams nervously prepare to strut their bumpy shoulders at the MetLife Stadium July 19 finale. Who knew World Cup fashion could be this... padded?