Calgarian designed Canada's World Cup 2026 jerseys

Holly Gallacher, a Calgary-based designer at Nike, created the national team's home and away jerseys for the 2026 World Cup. The design process began four years ago—two years longer than typical jersey cycles—to get every detail right.

For the home kit, Gallacher moved beyond a simple maple leaf. "Rather than just sticking a Maple Leaf on the jersey, she created a fragmented mosaic pattern," meant to represent people, communities, and everyone coming together as one under the symbol of the Maple Leaf. The red home jersey combines classic appeal with forward-thinking design.

For the away kit, players explicitly requested black because it made them feel confident. Gallacher based the design on "black ice," which is dangerous because "you don't see it coming until it's too late." The visual texture draws from photos she took of ice rinks, capturing blade marks and textures in the ice.

Both jerseys hide a unique "Easter egg": Canada's iconic loonie. "I wanted something that felt like ... it's kind of like, 'if you know, you know' kind of thing," Gallacher said. The loonie references Canadian sports lore from the 2002 Winter Olympics, when one was buried under the ice and both the men's and women's teams won gold.

At Kicks Sports in northwest Calgary, sales associate Antonio Georgeou said the jerseys have been flying off the shelves. "I think about two weeks ago we were almost fresh out, especially in adult sizes," he said. Canada has been the bestselling jersey at the store, driven by national pride and the team's strong performance in the tournament.