Which are the fashion partners of the national teams for Euro 2024?

On Friday, June 14, Euro 2024 finally begins, the competition that - along with the Copa América - will enliven the summer and has already sparked predictions from those who consider Gareth Southgate's England the team to beat, thanks to a squad featuring Foden, Palmer, and Bellingham, the three biggest rising stars in world football. The participating teams have given us a sneak peek during friendly matches, showing themselves in front of the cameras upon arrival at the venues where the games were played. More than a few teams have opted for informal attire, in most cases the simplest tracksuit, with the technical sponsor's logo, but this was not the case for Germany, England, Italy, Portugal, Croatia, and many others, who have impressed by sporting elegant tailored suits. As with club teams, each national team has a fashion partner that provides their formal wear.

It’s not easy to track them all down: information about these types of partnerships isn't always available; it's not guaranteed to be found by browsing the Instagram profiles of the competing teams, and some national teams - whether intentionally or unintentionally - leave more than a hint about it.

Italy, France, and Germany

For the third consecutive European Championship, the Italian national team has relied on Emporio Armani, which has created a cotton knit jacket inspired by the one worn by the national team in 1928. It might not be as beautiful as the version used in Euro 2020, but it certainly stands out from those of other national teams due to its non-traditional cut. In short, the exact opposite of the French team, whose suits are made by Smalto Paris: the color of their formal wear had to be blue. So, the Bleus players will have to forgo their Clairefontaine-style looks to make way for a decidedly more "classic" one. The German national team, on the other hand, chooses Van Laack, a brand based in Mönchengladbach. The company is particularly famous for producing high-quality shirts.

The list of fashion partners chosen by the national teams includes Portugal with Sacoor Brothers, England with the renowned company Marks & Spencer, Croatia with Heraldi, and Albania with Altin Mici Atelier. If the overview of the national teams' fashion partners seems boring for now, wait until you discover the peculiar cases of the Georgian and Polish national teams.

Georgia and Poland

The Instagram profile of the Georgian national team is shrouded in mystery. Among impromptu captions and completely amateur shots, there appears a photo showing David Kharabadze - probably a member of the national team's technical staff - carrying a Boss garment bag. This opens up the possibility that the German brand might produce the formal wear for the Georgian national team: if so, it would be a uniform consisting of blue pants and jacket, and a white T-shirt and sneakers. Even more peculiar, perhaps, is the case of Poland, which obviously has formal wear - with which the players have great freedom of expression: as we can see from these shots, some players of the Polish team wear the jacket with a tank top. Additionally, we know that the head coach, Michał Probierz, has his own fashion partner: it’s called Lancerto, and it makes him look like he just stepped off the set of Peaky Blinders, with checkered waistcoats, double-breasted suits, and pockets for the handkerchief.

Turkey and Denmark

Speaking of pockets for the handkerchief, Vincenzo Montella's Turkey fits perfectly into the discussion. Only for the coach's look, though, since Çalhanoglu, Yildiz, and Güler will have a completely different outfit, in terms of color and silhouette, particularly interesting for the jacket with an elasticated lower area. Many national teams choose to create different uniforms for the technical staff and players - as the Italian national team did at Euro 2020 - while others opt for a versatile style for all team members. Denmark, on the other hand, deserves special mention for the name of its fashion partner. It's called Shaping New Tomorrow, it’s Scandinavian, and was founded in 2015. The name might sound more like a streetwear brand that teaches «How to dress like a gentleman during summer», and it pairs a taupe grey suit with a graphic T-shirt featuring the brand's name. The presence of Christensen, Kjær, and Øddgaard certainly helps make it look much more appropriate and cool than it might seem.

Summing up, we can see how some federations have chosen to associate with historic maisons or brands with great heritage, while others, like Denmark, have chosen younger partners to seek a more contemporary look. All that's left is to wait for the start of the competition to discover the remaining fashion partners of Europe’s 24 best national teams.