Adidas brought its Chinese football community together in Shanghai for a three day event celebrating the global launch of its 2026 FIFA World Cup away kits, turning a historic primary school into a retro football playground.
A Schoolyard Comes Alive
On March 20, Adidas officially launched the 2026 FIFA World Cup away jerseys for 25 national teams at the former Laguna Primary School in Shanghai Xintiandi. The event opened with a fashion show in the schoolyard designed to evoke early memories of football and childhood, with the collection presented by Adidas full line brand ambassador and actor Dylan Wang (Wáng Hèdì), alongside football teams from Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Tongji University. The schoolyard setting was intentional, grounding the global kit launch in a sense of community and nostalgia for the game’s grassroots.
Retro Market and Street Culture
Over the following two days, Adidas hosted an interactive market inside the school’s main building in collaboration with local creative market Common Rare. Stalls featured retro kits, screen printing workshops, and vinyl records, while other activities included a skateboarding class, street dance flash mobs, and a World Cup themed canteen. It was a full celebration of the 1990s football culture that inspired the entire away kit collection.
The Trefoil’s Big Return
A defining highlight of the launch was the return of the Adidas Trefoil logo to World Cup national kits for the first time in 36 years. The Trefoil last appeared on a World Cup kit at the 1990 tournament and now features on the right chest of each of the 25 away jerseys, incorporating CLIMACOOL+ materials and herringbone stitched three stripes for breathability during the tournament.
General Manager of Football at Adidas, Sam Handy, said, “These designs pay homage to each country, while offering all fans a catalog of football designs that comfortably transcend the pitch and the stands.”
A World Cup Archive on the Fourth Floor
On the fourth floor of the Laguna Primary School venue, Adidas set up a dedicated “World Cup Archive” tracing the shared history between Adidas and FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association). The exhibition featured rare collectors’ items, historic kits, and photographs spanning decades of tournament football. The archive gave the Trefoil’s return a deeper context, presenting it as a tribute to the brand’s long history at the world’s biggest football tournament rather than simply a design decision.
The 25 away jerseys became available to the public on March 20 through official digital channels and select global retail partners, ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be hosted across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
