The uniforms for the Taegeuk Warriors in the second Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North and Central America World Cup were unveiled in silence on the 19th.
Nike, a sports brand, releases new uniforms every two years as a sponsor of the Korea Football Association. The uniforms worn by players of the national soccer team always make fans’ hearts flutter, but this time, the uniforms did not draw much response.
It’s not a matter of design or technology. The new uniform announced by Nike includes a design that reinterprets Korea’s unique tradition. The home uniform featuring red patterns and dancheong patterns, the tiger’s toenails, and the away uniform featuring black and pearl digital patterns, all of which would have garnered boisterous responses normally. Materials and technologies designed to keep players in the best condition were also applied, making it comparable to new uniforms of each country.
It was only a matter of formality to publicize the uniform. As Nike announced its new uniform through a press release on the day, it naturally had limitations in impressing the fans. In previous years, the company used runway models modeled after the national team players, creating a venue for much public relations.
Looking at the national team’s call-up list, which the association released on social networking services (SNS) on the 11th, Nike seems to have wanted the same promotion method this time as before. This is because the background of the call-up list image is the same as the pattern of the new home uniform, as well as the phrase, “The new uniform for the Korean national soccer team will be launched on March 18.” The association has no reason not to help sponsors who support them.
However, it was hampered by the chaotic situation of the national team. As various incidents have occurred in the process of failing to reach the top of the Asian Cup for the first time in 64 years, there is little time to pay attention to communication with the outside world. There were also incidents such as the “table tennis incident” in which Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) physically collided with “captain” Son Heung-min (Tottenham) while playing table tennis on the evening before the Asian Cup semifinal match against Jordan, and the incident in which players and association staff played cards until late at night during the off-season training in the United Arab Emirates. 핑크알바
“We decided that the national team needed self-reflection as a token of atonement,” an association source said. “We asked for understanding through dialogue with supporters. The announcement of the new uniform is in the same vein.”
The silence, not silence, of the national team is evident in the training landscape. Interim coach Hwang Sun-hong, who took the helm instead of the ousted coach Jurgen Klinsmann, has been striving to deal with the situation since its first convocation on Wednesday. The first training session was open to the public for 15 minutes on Wednesday, and the first training session was completely closed to the public on Wednesday. The official training session will only be open to the public for 15 minutes, according to the regulations. The session, which draws attention as much as the players’ toes, will not be held for the time being. “Players are feeling pressure (from media interviews). I want to hear everything from them. I will find a solution through dialogue,” Hwang said.