Football is closely tied to local culture, national pride and the communities that support the game every day. Ahead of Globe Cup 26, 1xBet looks at the kits of South Africa, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, Ghana and DR Congo, showing how football design can express identity on the global stage.
As a brand supporting sport across African markets, 1xBet sees football as a space where culture, fan passion and national character meet. Fans can also follow the tournament on the 1xBet website, track these teams’ journeys and stay close to every key moment of their road through the championship.
Disclaimer: The images in this article are reference illustrations only. They are not official uniform designs and do not represent the final or official kits of the teams mentioned. The visuals are shown solely to support the editorial analysis.
Senegal: Dakar’s Car Rapide on the pitch
Senegal’s home shirt is built around one of Dakar’s most recognisable urban symbols: the Car Rapide. The white jersey features an intricate multicolour front graphic, reflecting the artistic flair and cultural symbolism of these iconic minibuses. Through their painted surfaces, Car Rapides carry fragments of popular culture, national history, belief and street identity.
The away kit takes a different direction, with a deep green base and a tonal vertical pattern inspired by traditional Senegalese fabric art and local craftsmanship.
1xBet summary: Senegal’s kits show how football can reflect both urban culture and traditional craft.
Ghana: football and folklore
Ghana’s home kit features a graphic pattern inspired by Kente woven cloth, one of the country’s most recognisable textile traditions, while also connecting to the storytelling world of Kwaku Ananse, the spider figure known across West African folklore for wit, intelligence and resilience.
The away kit uses a yellow base and tonal graphics inspired by the energy of Makola Market in Accra, one of the city’s key commercial and cultural spaces. In both kits, the Black Star remains central, keeping the national symbol visible.
1xBet summary: Ghana’s kits show how football can connect folklore, city life and national pride in one visual identity.
Côte d’Ivoire: orange identity and Les Éléphants
Côte d’Ivoire’s home kit stays close to one of the strongest visual codes in African football: the orange shirt of Les Éléphants. The colour links the team to Ivorian football history, while the animal-inspired texture subtly references the elephant identity. Green details connect the design to the national flag.
The away kit uses a white base with botanical graphics that can be read as a reference to Côte d’Ivoire’s natural richness. Orange and green details keep the link to the national palette.
1xBet summary: Together, the home and away kits balance strength, nature and Côte d’Ivoire’s established football image.
DR Congo: inspired stripes and textile references
DR Congo’s home shirt, with its striped visual rhythm, appears to draw inspiration from the okapi, an animal closely associated with the country and often described as the “zebra giraffe.” This creates a subtle link to Congolese wildlife and one of the country’s most recognisable natural symbols.
The away kit takes a more graphic direction, using a geometric pattern that may reference Kuba textiles, known for their rich visual structure and artistic value.
1xBet summary: DR Congo’s kits show how football design can connect sport with nature and traditional visual culture.
South Africa: language and football memory
South Africa’s home kit keeps the familiar yellow and green of Bafana Bafana, while the away kit takes a more classic direction. Across both shirts, the key detail is a tonal pattern referencing South Africa’s linguistic diversity and 12 official languages. It gives the jerseys a message of unity, many voices and shared national identity.
Both designs also carry the memory of 2010, when South Africa hosted football’s biggest tournament and introduced global audiences to its culture, sound and colour.
1xBet summary: This symbolism shows how football can preserve national memory while staying modern for new generations of fans.
Across these five kits, the strongest ideas come from references supporters can recognise immediately: language, team nicknames, folklore, markets, city transport, colours and history. These uniforms show how football design can carry local meaning while giving each team a clear identity on the Globe Cup 26 stage.
