Ahead of a fresh round of international fixtures, the German giants adidas have launched their latest collection of national team kits. It's a big year for international competition with both Euro 2024 and the 2024 Copa América on the billing, and as such the new kits have plenty to live up to.

Best 2024 adidas International football shirts

Though the community has been discussing leaks for the new designs for a while now, the official launch gives us a chance to have a proper look at what many teams will be wearing.

2024 Belgium football shirt

The star of the show for many has been Belgium. You don't need me to tell you that the new Red Devils away shirt is based on none other than Tintin, the most famous quiff in cartoons. Though my personal knowledge of Tintin (who was created in 1929 by Belgian cartoonist Hergé) extends little further than the "Captain, it's Wednesday" meme, a quick comparison of one of the character's classic outfits alongside the Belgium away tells the story immediately.

Even when taken in isolation of the Tintin story this is a smart shirt. The subliminal geometric pattern throughout the body of the shirt, a design which is shared with the home, looks fantastic. The colour combination of light blue and brown is an unusual but welcome tandem too which feels quite fresh in the often vanilla theatre of international football. But when you see the connection to Tintin and experience that wonderful "ahhh" moment that you get when you're shown the inspiration of a design, it makes for a truly memorable ensemble.

2024 Mexico home shirt

Alongside Belgium, Mexico are another early winner. Both their new kits feature standout patterns inspired by classic Mexico shirts and Mexican heritage. Starting with the home, the choice of maroon as a base colour is something of a deep cut with the team having used Maroon as their primary colour before switching to green in 1958. The colour is only the beginning of the story however, as an all-over pattern inspired by peacocks marks this one out. I'm very happy to report that the pattern continues in full on the back of the shirt. Unfortunately the same can't be said for the pattern of the away, but everything else about the "linen green" ensemble is 10/10. Intricate pattern, well incorporated details, this is one that goes straight to the top of my wishlist.

Teamgeist inspiration

Taking in the collection as a whole, there is more than a little bit of Teamgeist here. Though arguably less popular than Nike's Total 90 kits, adidas Teamgeist was a memorable slice of kit history which helped to define the 00s. The timing of this nostalgic nod makes a tonne of sense when you consider that the Euros is taking place in Germany this year. Back in 2006, the World Cup in Germany would shine the brightest possible light on Teamgeist 1.0 from Germany's opening match (who can forget that Torsten Frings rocket?) to Zidane's infamous headbutt in the final.

On the flipside, it could be argued that we are not long enough removed from the last dose of Teamgeist we received in 2021. It's a fair argument, but the fact that those Teamgeist-inspired shirts were pre-match/lifestyle items as opposed to match shirts softens the blow, not to mention that the 2024 kits feel much more like an evolution of the template as opposed to a straight reintroduction.

How much do the 2024 adidas international kits cost?

I want to finish on an interesting note regarding kit tiers. According to various reports adidas are set to make some of their new shirts available in a 3rd, "basic" or “fan” tier. We've talked about the 3 tier model before in Collectors Club as something which could provide an affordable option for fans, but sadly this isn't exactly what we're getting.

With a £50 retail price, the basic shirts are not fit for purpose. Given the lack of details (some stripped back designs are more egregious than others), the price of these kits should be much closer to £30 if not lower at launch. These are the shirts which brands can make use of to help tackle the fake market, but at £50 these aren't attractive to anyone. On top of this, the basic shirts don't appear to be available at launch. This could be because they're only being marketed and sold in certain regions, but again this is a ball dropped.

Still, those grievances aside there is a lot to enjoy today. The way that adidas have made use of their latest template is fantastic. I love that some shirts have utilised patterns in the side panels, whilst others have patterns within the Teamgeist-esque lines. This sort of variations helps a template stay relatively fresh across multiple teams, and it gives me a lot of optimism for adidas as a brand heading into the 2024/25 season.

Browse our collection of vintage adidas football shirts here.