![](https://uproxx.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/wakandacloseup.jpg)
The Marvel movies Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War has brought some much-deserved attention to the fictional African nation of Wakanda. The Black Panther’s home world has sleek technology, brave warriors and plenty of style. And quite frankly, it deserves its own World Cup uniform.
The United States isn’t in the World Cup and it still got new uniforms from Nike, so why shouldn’t a fictional nation get its own kit? That’s the thinking behind a graphic designer’s soccer uniforms designed for the nation of Wakanda.
Buffalo-based artist Mark Yesilevskiy often designs uniforms for various soccer teams, and he got caught up in the enthusiasm for Black Panther‘s release back in February and made a design for Wakanda. The kit has a sleek all-black kit includes the necklace T’Challa wears on his Black Panther costume and a red badge for the nation of Wakanda.
I did a Wakanda World Cup 2018 kit pic.twitter.com/iMvLQLjDpl
— Mark Yesilevskiy (@MarkWhyy) February 11, 2018
The first tweet of the Wakanda-inspired jersey design received a lot of buzz, and with the World Cup in full swing he went ahead and designed an away kit for the fictional nation, which is based on Wakanda’s special forces, the Dora Milaje.
I got a bunch of requests with the World Cup going on so I also did a Wakanda away kit based on the Dora Milaje.
More info & prints: https://t.co/2Btqtnigfe pic.twitter.com/4q9nAJWPO6
— Mark Yesilevskiy (@MarkWhyy) June 29, 2018
These are immediately some of the better-designed kits in the World Cup, should Wakanda exist and actually qualify for the tournament. Check out the super-sleek detail on the red of the away kit.
And of course, a detail shot:https://t.co/2Btqtnigfe pic.twitter.com/JDZ3Nvj3Ll
— Mark Yesilevskiy (@MarkWhyy) June 29, 2018
It’s fun to imagine what Wakanda would look like in the real world, but given Danai Gurira’s point that an uncolonized Africa could very well have created a real-life Wakanda it’s a bit sad that these aren’t being worn in Russia this tournament.