May 2 – One of football’s most iconic shirts is at the center of a national identity crisis, as Brazil spirals into a political tizzy over rumors that the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) might swap the Seleção’s classic blue away kit for a crimson jersey at the 2026 World Cup. Yes, red. In Brazil. In football. Cue the dramatic samba drums.
Forget right-wingers and left-wingers on the pitch – this is now a full-blown political firefight over patriotism. For Brazil’s hardcore conservatives, red is more than just a colour – it’s a political football, linked to leftist president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, his Workers’ Party (PT), and the Landless Workers’ Movement (MST).
“Our team’s shirt will never be red – and neither will our country!” said Romeu Zema, a conservative state governor looking to score political points.
Flávio Bolsonaro, son of the country’s former president and a man never known for subtlety, called for the plans to be “vehemently repudiated”, reminding everyone: “Our flag isn’t red – and it never will be.”
And it’s not just the politicians. Football purists and Seleção diehards have gone into meltdown over the “leaked” plans, first reported by kit-nerd haven Footy Headlines.
The CBF, scrambling to douse the flaming jersey, issued a denial, saying Brazil remains fully committed to the traditional yellow and blue – and, by the way, Nike hasn’t even designed the 2026 kits yet.
Still, the shots kept coming. Sports journalist Paulo Vinícius Coelho dismissed the red rumor as “a complete lack of sense”, calling it a cash grab in kit form. Legendary commentator Galvão Bueno labeled the idea “a crime” and a “gigantic insult” to Brazil’s five-time World Cup-winning legacy.
In a plot twist worthy of a telenovela, even writers from both sides of the political spectrum weighed in. Right-wing columnist Milly Lacombe waxed poetic: “Red is a strong colour that stands for revolution, change, transformation, blood, struggle, life, death, rebirth.”
Left-wing football writer Juca Kfouri disagreed (ironically): “Red doesn’t have anything to do with Brazil,” he insisted, calling the whole thing a “trial balloon” designed to test the waters before launching a new merch line. He also suggested the timing was a perfect distraction as the CBF, was bungling its attempt to woo Real Madrid’s Carlo Ancelotti as national team coach. “It distracts from things that actually matter,” he said.
Contact the writer of this story, Nick Webster, at moc.l1746217758labto1746217758ofdlr1746217758owedo1746217758sni@o1746217758fni1746217758