World Cup 2026 is driving a wave of football merchandise — shirts, flags, scarves, hats, face paint, and accessories that most fans will buy, use for a few weeks, and never touch again.
The good news: you don’t have to choose between supporting your team and buying something that lasts. Here’s how to kit yourself out sustainably for the 2026 tournament.
The Problem with Fast Fashion Football Merchandise
Most official replica kits and tournament merchandise are made from virgin polyester — a plastic derived from petroleum that sheds microplastics every time it’s washed. Production conditions at many merchandise factories are poor, and the garments themselves are often made to be replaced the following season.
In the EU alone, over 4 million football shirts go to landfill or incineration each year after they’re replaced by updated designs. Adding a World Cup tournament on top of the regular club season cycle multiplies the problem significantly.
Sustainable Alternatives for 2026
Buy Secondhand Before You Buy New
The most sustainable football shirt is one that already exists. Before buying new World Cup merchandise, check:
- Vinted, Depop, and eBay — used football shirts are some of the most-traded items on secondhand platforms. You can often find national team shirts in excellent condition for a fraction of the new price.
- Charity shops — after every major tournament, charity shops are flooded with unwanted merchandise. Check in the weeks after your team is eliminated, or right after the tournament ends.
- Local football clubs — many clubs sell retired kits, and local club shirts are often made in smaller runs with better conditions.
Choose Brands That Use Recycled Materials
If you’re buying new, some major kit manufacturers now offer shirts made from recycled polyester (rPET) — typically from recycled plastic bottles. Nike’s “Move to Zero” range and Adidas’s Primegreen kits are the most prominent examples. Both are available for several of the 2026 national teams.
Recycled polyester still sheds microplastics when washed, but it doesn’t require new petroleum extraction and has roughly 32% lower carbon emissions than virgin polyester. A microplastic washing bag (like a Guppyfriend) catches fibres before they reach waterways — worth using with any synthetic kit.
Skip the Fast Fashion Accessories
Face paint, plastic flags, cheap scarves, and foam hands are among the most wasteful tournament accessories. Most are single-use, not recyclable, and often made with materials that off-gas chemicals. Better alternatives:
- Face paint: choose brands certified as cosmetic-grade and skin-safe, and ideally plastic-free packaging. Many small-batch European brands offer this.
- Flags: fabric flags (cotton or linen) are reusable across tournaments. A cotton flag you can store and bring out every World Cup is infinitely better than a new plastic flag each time.
- Scarves: proper wool or cotton scarves last decades. A scarf bought for 2026 should still be worn in 2030 and 2034.
Make Your Own
For casual fans, DIY is often the best sustainable option. Fabric paint on an old white or coloured shirt produces something unique and generates almost no waste. Paint your nation’s flag colours on a plain shirt you already own — it’s more original than a mass-produced replica, and it costs almost nothing.
What to Do With Old Football Merchandise
If you have old kits, scarves, or merchandise from previous tournaments, don’t throw them out:
- Sell or donate — old football shirts have value on secondhand markets, especially vintage ones. Donate to charity shops if they’re not worth selling.
- Textile recycling — if a garment is too worn to wear or donate, most European municipalities have textile recycling collections. In many countries, H&M and Zara stores also accept textiles for recycling regardless of brand.
- Repurpose — old football shirts make good cleaning rags, workshop wear, or fabric for other projects. A shirt that becomes a rag lives longer than one that goes to landfill.
A Note on Official World Cup Merchandise
FIFA has made sustainability commitments for 2026, including targets for sustainable merchandise. As the tournament approaches, official merchandise suppliers have increasingly offered rPET options. Look for sustainability certifications on official products — and if a product makes a vague “eco-friendly” claim without certification, treat it with scepticism.