The good,bad and downright ugly in team colours

David Beckham aside,the World Cup isnt a fashion show. When guys are representing their countries in front of billions of people all over the world,however,it helps if they look good doing it.

You want to make a kit that represents that country in terms of tradition and colour, said Nikes Tim Yu.

The functionality folks will find plenty to love in South Africa. Nikes jerseys are made entirely of polyester thread recycled from plastic bottles,and are 13 per cent lighter than previous uniforms. Puma used actual soil samples to create the colour scheme for its Unity Kit, a third uniform for the African nations that promotes plant and animal conservation.

And for fashionistas,theres enough to keep you entertained for the entire month-long tournament,starting with Slovenia. That thick,jagged line on the front may represent the mountains of Slovenia. But when youre the smallest country in the tournament,have no big-name players and got stuck in the same group as England and the United States,you need to do something to stand out,not look like a blockhead.

Thanks to Cristiano Ronaldos slicked-back ducktail,Portugals away jersey featuring a red-and-green highway down the centre isnt the teams biggest fashion faux pas. England should consider stashing a few of their home whites away for 2016,when golf returns to the Olympics. Greeces home and away shirts are the same,solid white (home) or blue (away),with thin lines of the opposite colour running from the collar to the armpit and at a diagonal at the bottom. Its not bad,its just… boring. Which is fitting,considering thats the way the Greeks play. As for France,theres just no way to explain,or excuse,that home jersey with the red and white ribs. Or wings. Or whatever they are.

Of course,its not easy making all of these countries stand apart. Or finding a way to make them look different than they did four,eight or 12 years ago.

Its always a challenge,because you need to look fresh and need to bring innovation, said Filip Trulsson of Puma,which designed the uniforms for six teams. Overall,were extremely pleased with the 2010 kits on the Africa side. With good reason.

Ivory Coasts home jersey is sherbet orange,while Cameroons away shirt is bright yellow with red stripes that appear to have been painted on with a brush. Algerias away kit is sage green.

Best of all,theres a surprise hidden on every home jersey. Designers have screened an image of the teams nickname on the right shoulder. Look closely,and youll see an image of a Desert Fox (Algeria),a Black Star (Ghana),an Elephant (Ivory Coast) or an Indomitable Lion (Cameroon).

Simple looks can stand out,too. It doesnt get much more basic than the Dutch orange or Argentinas light blue and white stripes. Doesnt get much better,either. Brazil have worn essentially the same home uniform of cobalt blue shorts and canary yellow shirts with green trim for almost 50 years now,and its still as cool as when Pele was wearing it.