Sleeve Modification: Manuel Neuer cut the sleeves off his long-sleeved goalkeeper shirt for Germany’s opening 2026 World Cup match against Curaçao, despite his long-standing preference for short sleeves.
Dress Code Violation (Sleeves): Neuer’s action of cutting his sleeves appeared to violate FIFA’s undergarment dress code, as the reason for the long-sleeved shirt preparation remains unknown.
Dress Code Violation (Undergarment Color): Neuer further breached FIFA’s official kit regulations by wearing a white undershirt that did not match the dominant color of his goalkeeper jersey.
Manuel Neuer cut the sleeves off his goalkeeper shirt and appeared to violate FIFA’s undergarment dress code during Germany‘s opening 2026 World Cup match against Curaçao.
Manuel Neuer Wears Forbidden, Mismatching Undergarment
The 40-year-old Bayern Munich goalkeeper has been accustomed to wearing short-sleeved shirts for more than half a decade – even in his official World Cup profile pictures – yet Germany’s kitman prepared a long-sleeved shirt for the match, leaving Neuer to cut the sleeves off himself on the day. The reason behind the long-sleeved preparation remains unknown, raising questions about the communication between Neuer and the German kit logistics team ahead of the opener.
The sleeve situation was not the only kit issue surrounding Neuer in the match, as the veteran goalkeeper also appeared to breach FIFA’s undergarment regulations by wearing a white shirt underneath that did not match the dominant color of his goalkeeper jersey. According to FIFA’s official kit regulations, any visible undergarment must be of the same dominant color as the item worn over it and must not display any team identifiers, manufacturer identifiers or decorative elements. Whether FIFA will take any action over the Neuer undergarment violation at the 2026 World Cup remains to be seen.
This is not the first time that Neuer has had a problem with a mismatch undershirt. Just before the kickoff of the 2024 European Championship opener, Manuel Neuer had to return to the locker room because his black undershirt looked too much like the Scottish jersey, so he had to change it.
Manuel Neuer also wore a special Legacy badge, of which we do not have high-res images yet.
What do you make of the Neuer sleeve and undergarment situation – a minor oversight or something Germany’s kit team should have managed better? Let us know in the comments below.