So much has happened in the 2026 World Cup that you’d be forgiven for not realizing a number of teams have now gone home before they could even wear each kit they brought to the tournament.How does this happen? FIFA oversees which kit each team wears in each match in order to avoid overlapping colors that make opposing teams look too similar on the pitch together, with priority given to whichever team is designated the “home” team for the match. That can result in a team wearing the same kit several matches in a row and then being eliminated before they get a chance to switch it up.In some cases, this is nothing to lose sleep over, but in others it’s nothing short of a sartorial travesty. So in an effort to make up for the injustice of some of the best kits made for the tournament never being seen on a World Cup pitch, here are five that didn’t get the spotlight they deserve before their team was eliminated.1. Curaçao awayCuraçao’s popular away kit was on display in the team’s pre-World Cup friendly against Scotland. (WM Sport Media/Getty Images)We warned this was likely to happen before the tournament began and, sadly, it came true. Curaçao’s lovely away kit was not worn in any of their three group matches at the World Cup, yet it still sold out before the opening ceremony. The Athletic’s Nick Miller ranked this as the No. 1 away kit in the whole tournament with its pastel yellow and vibrant stripes inspired by the colors of the buildings in capital city Willemstad, making it particularly disappointing that it didn’t appear. Curaçao did wear it in a pre-tournament friendly against Scotland, so it wasn’t completely wasted, but that’s just not the same, is it?