The Africa Cup of Nations celebrates the continent’s vibrant cultures, with fans showing their colours in the stands and weighing in on the best and worst kits.

Beyond on-field actions, the kits worn by teams at tournaments like the AFCON are also a significant aspect of the battle for supremacy among supporters of participating nations.

Following the conclusion of the group stage of the competition, Peoples Gazette asked football fans to rank the top five best and the worst kits at the ongoing AFCON in Morocco.

While some fans believed many countries go overboard with the design of their national team jerseys, showing cultural and colour elements of the respective nations, many said some countries have simply gone for what can only be perceived as a simple choice of kits.

Speaking to The Gazette, Toyosi Adams, a fashion expert, said, “Football fans rate kits through the combination of several factors, including emotion, aesthetic, and meaning. They consider the colours, the balance of patterns, and symbolism.”

Meanwhile, football journalist Inioluwa Emmanuel stated, “The choice of football fans when it comes to ranking football kits can sometimes be based on affinity or rivalry that they have for the teams involved.

Top five best-ranked teams

The Gazette interviewed 20 football fans to rank the best kits at AFCON. Six (30 per cent) voted for Cameroon’s kit, five (25 per cent) chose Zimbabwe’s, four (20 per cent) went with Nigeria, three (15 per cent) picked Morocco, and two (10 per cent) preferred DR Congo’s kit.

Cameroon

he away jersey Cameroon wore against the Ivory Coast in their second Group F tie was overwhelmingly voted the best kit of the AFCON by fans. Many cited its “cool” design that makes it wearable with different styles.

Manchester United forward Amad Diallo made the jersey trend after the Ivorian wore his club teammate Bryan Mbeumo’s own for his man-of-the-match shootout after both faced each other in their group game.

The jersey’s primary colour is deep black with orange-and-yellow geometric textures scattered across the shirt, especially around the chest and shoulders, alongside sleeve cuffs featuring the pan-African colours of red, yellow, and green.

Zimbabwe

The Zimbabweans adorned the kit during the 3-2 defeat to South Africa. The jersey’s base colour is yellow, and it also features the pan-African colours of red, yellow, and green, which were used to design the sleeve and neck cuffs.

Nigeria

Nigeria is arguably known for turning heads with its national team kit designs. From the iconic 1998 jersey, which Nike has reissued as one of the team’s pre-match shirts in this AFCON, to the famous one modelled by Wizkid that the Eagles used at the 2018 World Cup, Nigeria has always been part of this debate.

So, there is no surprise that fans ranked the Eagles’ home kit at the ongoing AFCON. The jersey has black as the base colour with green patches scattered around it.

Morocco

The Moroccan home jersey is predominantly bright red with green sleeve and neck cuffs. That, alongside its all-green shorts, made the kit one of the most aesthetically pleasing fits in the AFCON, according to football fans.

Coupled with Morocco’s brilliant on-field performance, it would be no surprise that the outfit will be the go-to choice for many football fans.

DR Congo

The Congolese wore the kit in their last group match against Botswana, which they won 3-0.

The dominant colour of the shirt and shorts is red, with the top featuring bold yellow flame-like or lightning motifs flowing across the shoulders, chest, sides, and torso.

Bottom five lowest-ranked teams

Meanwhile, 23 supporters voted for the worst kits. Algeria received eight votes (34.8 per cent), Tanzania six votes (26.1 per cent), Sudan four votes (17.4 per cent), Burkina Faso three votes (13 per cent), and Gabon two votes (8.7 per cent).

Algeria

Fans ranked Algeria’s home kits as the worst outfit of the tournament.

Many described the white-based jersey with green stripes as too generic, adding that it was a lack of effort from Adidas, the country’s official kit manufacturer.

Tanzania

The Tanzania blue-and-yellow away jersey is placed just below the Algerian. Most people cited that blue is not an ideal first choice for them, and that factor, coupled with the lack of aesthetic design to complement it, makes the kit a low choice.

Sudan

The Sudanese home jersey was dubbed generic by fans, lacking unique designs. Crisp white dominates the shirt, giving it a clean but minimalist look. A green vertical stripe runs down the side of the jersey.

The collar is green, while the sleeves are a combination of green and red.

Burkina Faso

The Burkinabes wore the jersey in their last group game against Sudan. The country’s manufacturer went with a simple design for the shirt, with green as the dominant colour, except for the neck area and sleeves, which are red.

Gabon

Worn by the Gabonese in their Group F game against the Ivory Coast. The shirt is almost completely yellow, except for the vertical blue stripe running from the armpit to the bottom. Meanwhile, the short is blue, with a yellow vertical design running from the beginning to the end of it.