Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Fashion & Style
  3. Features

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

The Best Men’s Style Picks for FIFA World Cup 2026: What to Wear from Takeoff to Kickoff

City, town, style
Mark Reif in Old Town Winchester, VA Nancy Hart Schrock / Cedar Grove Photography

FIFA 2026 provides a global amphitheater for sport, people, and culture to converge. Not only do the world’s best football players compete for the crown, but devoted fans have opportunities for travel and spectacle, visiting new places while cheering on their national team. It’s a true celebration.

And when participating in a once-in-a-lifetime event, it makes sense to dress your best, not only to look good, but to express yourself and support your team. With that in mind, I put together my favorites for each step of the World Cup journey — travel day, match day, and nights on the town.

Recommended Videos

To make my picks, I spent time in FIFA 2026 host city Boston, exploring the city as the year’s biggest sporting event took hold. I explored the avenues, tried new restaurants, and visited landmarks through the morning, evening, and night. Here’s my take.

Airport to Arrival

Believe it or not, I love airports, boarding planes, feeling the rush of takeoff, and the anticipation upon landing. Ever since I took my first ride on a jet as a kid, that sense of newness and exploration always greets me at the terminal.

My FIFA travel outfit consists of items that are light, flexible, and cool, with a little upbeat mood to reflect the tournament’s verve. 

The Marine Layer Greyson Sweater Polo has a comforting weight that drapes across the shoulders and a flexible, soft 100% cotton construction. It’s just so comfortable to wear around.

My shorts are also by Marine Layer, with the Monument 7” Hybrid’s airy, flexible 100% polyester build feeling like boardshorts, while providing useful storage via a hidden zipper phone pocket.

Lastly, the PF Flyer Grounder High-Tops in Sea Salt Canvas provide a touch of classic American flair, with their pliable soles and uppers that add a near-barefoot walking sensation. 

Game Day Style

The World Cup only happens once every four years, making it even more essential to support the USMNT. I want an upbeat look that’s at home in the city, yet sets itself apart from the crowd.

Nike’s USMNT Stadium Away jersey uses a sleek design with subtle stars against a midnight blue background and a bold, white USA crest on the front. It looks at home in a stadium or in the pub, the deep color a classy tribute to the team.

Hiroshi Kato’s “The Hammer” 13.5 oz. Old Nep Indigo jeans are denim unlike any you’ll see or feel, with the fabric’s tiny white “neps” appearing like stars against a night sky. The heavy-duty material adds a substantial, rugged quality, yet there’s plenty of freedom to move due to an easy fit through the hips. While wearing them, I received multiple comments of “I love your jeans.”

The PF Flyers were again my choice; their bright white appearance and old-school Americana styling were the perfect look for supporting the USA on home soil.

Post-Match Style

After a long day in the city, this grouping keeps it low-key while adding a rugged touch.

The Marine Layer Stretch Selvage Shirt in India Ink has a textured, light, breathable feel, courtesy of its 98% cotton, 2% spandex material. The color bridged the gap between blue and black, and detailed copper, red, and white stitching adds a handmade quality.

Rag & Bone’s Infuse Fit 3 Athletic Jeans in Graphite Blue offer stretch and softness, with the color offering a clean look for a night out. 

Highlighting the package are Frye’s Hudson Plain Toe Work Boots in Antique Black, their distressed finish appearing like old motorcycle boots worn through the streets of LA. Not only that, but they provide a soft step, ideal for long city walks. Rawhide laces add a traditional, authentic personality.

Style Remix

For my final pick, I decided to mix it up, keeping the Hiroshi Kato jeans and PF Flyers, while adding the Rag & Bone Dalton Windowpane Knit Shirt in Ivory. 

The shirt’s cream appearance and super-soft knit add a graceful, understated look when hitting a fancy restaurant, like Coquette at the Boston Omni Hotel at the Seaport

At the same time, the jeans’ “Starry Night” finish and the shoes’ retro flair add a sense of fun, capturing the excitement of the World Cup and a night out in the city.

Ready for Kickoff

As the FIFA 2026 Round of 32 progresses, these looks give you uniqueness, comfort, and set you apart from the pack. PF Flyers bring an upbeat, classic mood to every outfit. Comfortable, breathable materials mix looks and function. Frye boots have a cultivated, weathered personality that appears straight from LA. The USMNT jersey and evening shirts have pizazz or class, depending on the occasion.

So pack your bags and hit the city, whether that’s Boston, LA, or New York. Savor the feeling of a once-in-a-lifetime experience, look your best, and have an easy ride home.

Mark Reif
Mark Reif is a storyteller focused on the intersection of outdoor culture, travel, and design. From the peaks of Banff to the…
Luminox’s new Adventure Watch trades tactical black for a weathered, vintage look
The Swiss brand's latest field watch wears a pre-aged "IP Antique" finish and leather straps, priced at $795.
Wristwatch, Arm, Body Part

Luminox usually builds watches that look ready for a covert night operation — but its newest one looks ready for a 1950s expedition instead.

The Pfäffikon, Switzerland–based brand just dropped the Adventure Watch, a field watch styled after the timepieces of the early exploration days but built to Luminox's modern military-grade standards.

Read more
What sailors in the Race to Mackinac, America’s oldest freshwater race, wear on their wrists
The race from Chicago to Mackinac Island is a days-long battle against the Great Lakes. In that kind of contest, you need a watch as tough as the job.
Boat, Sailboat, Transportation

The Race to Mackinac has been run since 1898, when five boats set out from Chicago. Today it covers 333 statute miles up Lake Michigan, crosses into Lake Huron at the Straits of Mackinac, and finishes off Mackinac Island — and it is not an easy voyage. It is also not a gentle one. Sustained gales flattened big chunks of the fleet in 1911, 1937, and 1970, and after a deadly storm in 2011, the Mac's reputation for danger stopped being theoretical. The fastest boats finish absurdly quickly now, with an all-time record of 18 hours and 50 minutes set back in 1998, but most crews are out there for two or three nights. The sailors alternate, sleeping in shifts of four hours each, until they (hopefully) make land.

It might seem tough to imagine doing that once — now, try doing it two dozen more. For those who make the journey at least 25 times, the prize is entry into the Island Goats Sailing Society, founded in 1959 and now several hundred strong. Rack up 25 Chicago Macs and 25 from Port Huron, and you become a Double Goat. The nickname, as the story goes, comes from the aroma a crew carries after days at sea with no shower. All things considered, this is a tough, electric, occasionally dangerous race. The Chicago Yacht Club hosts the race annually in mid-July, and that's exactly where I went to look at watches.

Read more
Luminox goes full stealth with a new all-steel Navy SEAL Foundation watch
The blacked-out new release swaps the brand's usual straps for a matching IP Gun steel bracelet.
Wristwatch, Arm, Body Part

Luminox built its name on lightweight, strap-bound tool watches. Now, it's trying a slightly different tack.

The Swiss-made, American-founded brand just added a fully blacked-out, all-steel model — the XS.3228.NSF — to its Navy SEAL Foundation 3220 Series, a collaboration that dates back to 2020.

Read more