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The red colour is a fiery colour, associated with fire, blood, love, passion, and desire. Many football teams wear red jerseys as their home kit for many reasons. Some wear it because of the colour of their national flag, or club colours. Today, you will find out the major football national teams and clubs that wear the read jersey.
1. Liverpool FC
Red is one of the most powerful and widely worn colours in world football.
From the crimson of Spain’s La Roja to the red and black of AC Milan, the colour carries more history, passion, and trophy-winning pedigree than almost any other in the sport.
Here are 20 of the most popular soccer teams that play in red, covering national teams and football clubs from across the globe.
You might also enjoy our articles on soccer teams that play in yellow and football teams that play in blue.
1. Spain
(Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)
Spain are the most decorated red national team in world football and are known globally as La Roja — The Red.
Their red jersey with yellow trim is taken directly from the Spanish national flag and has been the home colour since Spain played their very first international match at the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp.
The shirt is manufactured by Adidas, who have supplied the national team since 1991.
Spain are one of the countries with the most football trophies, having won one World Cup and four European Championships.
Their greatest period came between 2008 and 2012 when they won three consecutive major tournaments, making them the most dominant international side in the history of the sport.
Lamine Yamal and Mikel Oyarzabal continue to carry the red shirt to glory at the 2026 World Cup in North America.
2. Denmark

Denmark’s football identity starts with the Dannebrog, the Danish national flag, which holds the Guinness World Record as the oldest continuously used national flag in the world, dating back to 1625.
Legend states that a red cloth with a white cross fell from the sky during the Battle of Valdemar in the 13th century, gifting the Danes victory, and the colours have been carried ever since.
Denmark’s kit is made by Danish company Hummel, who have been the national team’s supplier since 1979 with only a brief Adidas interruption from 2004 to 2012.
Their 2026 kit was inspired by the jersey Denmark wore at their very first World Cup in 1986, the tournament that produced the famous chant “We are red, we are white, we are Danish Dynamite.”
Denmark’s greatest achievement remains winning the 1992 European Championship without even originally qualifying, replacing Yugoslavia at the last minute and beating Germany 2-0 in the final.
3. Wales
(Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images)
Every Wales shirt tells the same story: Y Ddraig Goch, the Red Dragon, which has been a symbol of Welsh identity since the 5th century and has appeared on the national flag since it was officially adopted in 1959.
In 1902, the Football Association of Wales formally adopted red shirts as the permanent home colour, aligning with the Welsh Rugby Union and ending decades of colour confusion against the other home nations.
The red dragon crest has featured on every Wales shirt since the 1950s and is one of the most instantly recognisable badges in world football.
Wales qualified for the 2022 World Cup for the first time in 64 years and their finest modern moment remains reaching the UEFA Euro 2016 semi-finals with Gareth Bale leading the attack in red.
Their book on football history by Phil Stead is titled Red Dragons, the Story of Welsh Football, which tells you everything about how central the colour is to the Welsh football identity.
4. Switzerland
(Photo by FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images)
Switzerland‘s red jersey comes from one of the most powerful symbols in European history: the Swiss national flag, whose white cross on a red background has origins dating to the Battle of Laupen in 1339.
The Swiss national team first wore red in the early 20th century and have maintained it as their primary home colour through every generation and every kit manufacturer.
Their current Puma kit was worn at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar where Switzerland reached the quarter-finals, beating Serbia in the group stage and France in the round of 16 before losing to Portugal.
Switzerland are one of Europe’s most consistently underrated sides and their red jersey is carried to major tournaments with remarkable regularity.
5. South Korea
(Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
South Korea‘s red home jersey has one of the most powerful origin stories in international football.
The red comes from the Taegeukgi, the South Korean national flag, in which red represents passion and the yang force — the active, fiery energy, at the heart of the flag’s iconic yin-yang symbol.
The 2002 World Cup cemented red as South Korea’s identity colour, as millions of supporters flooded the streets in red shirts to cheer the Taeguk Warriors to the semi-finals, the best finish ever achieved by an Asian team at a World Cup.
The 2026 home jersey features a red base with a marled tiger-fur pattern woven into the fabric, inspired by the tiger’s reputation as a ruthless ambush hunter.
South Korea’s footballing profile in Asia has grown enormously since 2002 and their red jersey remains the most recognised kit across the continent.
6. Morocco
(Photo by Franco Arland/Getty Images)
Morocco’s red jersey comes from their national flag, which features a red background with a green pentacle star at its centre, making their home kit a direct reflection of national identity.
At Qatar 2022, Morocco became the first African and Arab nation to reach a World Cup semi-final, defeating Belgium, Spain, and Portugal along the way while wearing the iconic red shirts.
The 2026 home shirt takes the storytelling further, featuring Fes-style embroidered taping on the cuffs and collar and a subtle texture woven into the fabric that pays tribute to Moroccan craftsmanship.
Morocco won the Africa Cup of Nations title in 2025, adding to their 1976 triumph, and arrived at the 2026 World Cup on home soil in North America as one of the tournament’s most feared sides.
No red jersey in African football carries more global prestige than the Atlas Lions shirt heading into this tournament.
7. Turkiye
(Photo by Yagiz Gurtug/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Turkiye’s red jersey has Ottoman roots that stretch back centuries.
Red was the dominant colour of Turkic states before the arrival of Islam, the crescent and star existed in Constantinople before the Ottomans adopted them, and by 1793 the red flag with crescent and star was officially in use across the Empire.
When the Republic of Turkey was formally established in 1923, red became the permanent football kit colour and has remained so through every tournament the national team has entered.
Turkiye reached the semi-finals of UEFA Euro 2024, their best European Championship result, with a squad including Hakan Calhanoglu and a breakout teenager named Arda Guler who lit up the tournament in red.
Their finest hour remains the 2002 World Cup where they finished third, losing to Brazil in the semi-final and defeating South Korea in the third-place match.
8. Chile
(Photo by CLAUDIO SANTANA / AFP via Getty Images)
Chile share their nickname with Spain, both are called La Roja,  and their all-red jersey is one of the most recognisable kits in South American football.
The red is taken from the Chilean national flag, where red represents the blood spilled by patriots in the fight for independence, making it one of the most symbolically loaded colours in South American football.
Alexis Sanchez led Chile to back-to-back Copa America triumphs in 2015 and 2016 wearing the red shirt, making Chile the first South American nation to win the continental championship in consecutive editions.
Chile produced some of the finest strikers of their generation during that golden era and their all-red kit became one of the most celebrated in the sport.
9. Manchester United
(Photo by Paul Popper/Popperfoto via Getty Images)
Manchester United are the most recognisable red football club on the planet.
The club was founded in 1878 as Newton Heath LYR Football Club and wore green and gold before adopting red somewhere between 1887 and 1889, with the colour formalised as the permanent home kit when the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902.
Club captain Harry Stafford believed red would evoke strength and unity among players, and in the century that followed, the red shirt became the most widely recognised football jersey on earth.
United wear red shirts, white shorts and black socks, and under Sir Alex Ferguson the jersey was worn while winning 13 Premier League titles, two Champions League trophies, and the historic treble in 1999.
They are one of the world’s most recognisable Adidas-sponsored soccer teams and their red shirt is sold and worn in every corner of the world.
10. Liverpool
(Photo by Tony Marshall – PA Images via Getty Images)
Liverpool have a specific moment that defines their red identity: the evening of December 1964 when manager Bill Shankly told his players to wear all-red for the first time before a European Cup match against Anderlecht at Anfield.
Shankly believed the all-red strip would make his players look awesome and terrifying to opponents, giving them a psychological edge.
Liverpool won 3-0 that night and the all-red kit has never been changed, now inseparable from the club’s identity and from the famous Kop end at Anfield.
Liverpool had worn red shirts since 1896 but it was Shankly’s decision that turned the kit into one of the most iconic in world football.
They have won six European Cups, 20 league titles, and eight FA Cups, making the red jersey one of the most decorated in football history, and also carry one of the most lucrative shirt sponsorship deals in European football.
11. Arsenal
(Photo by David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Arsenal’s red jersey has a founding story that connects north London directly to Nottingham.
When Woolwich Arsenal were formed in 1886, Nottingham Forest donated a full set of their red shirts to the new club, which is how Arsenal came to wear red from their very first match.
The iconic white sleeves were added in 1933 by manager Herbert Chapman, who spotted a supporter in the stand wearing a sleeveless red shirt and decided the contrast would help players identify each other on the pitch.
Arsenal won the 2025/26 Premier League title — their first in 22 years — with Viktor Gyokeres leading the attack and David Raya winning the Golden Glove for the third consecutive season, ending a run of three straight runners-up finishes.
They also reached the UEFA Champions League final against PSG in Budapest in May 2026, wearing the red shirt on European football’s biggest stage for the first time in the club’s history.
Their red and white kit is one of the best soccer jerseys of all time and is widely worn across Africa, Asia, and North America.
12. AC Milan
(Photo by Pier Marco Tacca/AC Milan via Getty Images)
AC Milan’s red and black stripes were chosen with a declaration of intent.
When English founder Herbert Kilpin established the club in 1899, he chose the colours with a vision: “We will be a team of devils. Our colours will be red like fire and black to invoke fear in our opponents.”
Kilpin was inspired by the jerseys of Notts Olympic, a team from Nottingham he had played for, and the red and black stripes have appeared on every single AC Milan home shirt since the club’s foundation.
I Rossoneri, The Red and Blacks, have won seven UEFA Champions League titles and 19 Serie A titles, making their home kit one of the most trophy-laden in world football.
The San Siro in Milan, shared with city rivals Inter, has been the stage for some of football’s greatest nights played out in red and black, from the great sides featuring Maldini and Baresi to the Berlusconi-era Champions League winners.
13. Bayern Munich
(Photo by Daniela Porcelli/Getty Images)
Bayern Munich are known as Die Roten — The Reds — and have worn a predominantly red home jersey throughout their entire history.
The red was part of the club’s identity from their earliest years in Munich and has been maintained through every era, every kit manufacturer, and every generation of players.
Bayern have won 34 Bundesliga titles and six UEFA Champions League crowns, making their red jersey the most decorated in German football history.
The shirt has been worn by some of the greatest players in football history including Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Muller, Oliver Kahn, and Robert Lewandowski, and is currently supplied by Adidas.
Their red shirt is recognised on every continent and Bayern remain one of the most globally followed clubs in world football.
14. Atletico Madrid
(Photo by Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images)
Atletico Madrid’s red and white vertical stripes carry one of football’s most unusual origin stories.
Before 1911 Atletico wore blue and white halved shirts like their parent club Athletic Bilbao, but switched to red and white when a bulk order of striped fabric became available cheaply because it was widely used in mattress manufacturing across Madrid.
This gave birth to their famous nickname Los Colchoneros, The Mattress Makers, a name their supporters have reclaimed with enormous pride over more than a century.
Their red and white stripes paired with blue shorts have been worn through La Liga titles, Copa del Rey victories, and UEFA Europa League triumphs under Diego Simeone, one of football’s greatest managers.
Atletico play at the Wanda Metropolitano in Madrid and their red and white identity is as central to the club’s fierce character as their combative, relentless style of play on the pitch.
15. Flamengo
Flamengo are the most supported football club in Brazil and play in red and black hooped jerseys that are one of the most recognisable kits in South American football.
The club was founded in 1895 as a rowing club and their full name remains Clube de Regatas do Flamengo, with the red and black colours taken directly from the rowing club’s original identity.
The red and black hooped football jersey was adopted when the football section of the club was established and the fundamental design has not changed in over a century.
Flamengo have won the Copa Libertadores three times, most recently in 2022 under Dorival Junior, and are one of the most decorated clubs in Brazilian football history with multiple domestic titles.
Their red and black jersey is worn by an estimated 40 million supporters across Brazil, making Flamengo the club with the largest fanbase on the continent.
16. Benfica
(Photo by Gualter Fatia/Getty Images)
Benfica are Portugal’s most famous and most supported football club and their red home jersey has earned them two enduring nicknames: The Reds and The Eagles.
The club was founded in 1904 and adopted red as their primary colour from the earliest years of their existence, making it one of the most historically consistent colour associations in European club football.
Benfica won the European Cup in 1961 and 1962, with the great Eusebio leading the attack in the famous red shirt during one of the finest periods any European club has ever produced.
They wear red shirts with white shorts and white socks and play their home matches at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon, one of the grandest venues in European football.
They are also one of the few soccer clubs with birds on their badges.
Benfica have won over 40 Primeira Liga titles and remain one of the most important clubs in the history of European football.
17. Nottingham Forest
(Photo by Ahmet Okatali/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Nottingham Forest are arguably the most influential red club in the history of world football — and most people have no idea.
The club was founded in 1865, inspired by Giuseppe Garibaldi and his Italian revolutionary Red Shirts, making Forest one of the first clubs anywhere in the world to officially wear red.
Forest donated their red kits to Woolwich Arsenal in 1886 when the London club was formed, which is the direct reason Arsenal wear red today.
Forest’s 1905 tour of South America inspired Argentine club Independiente to adopt red after their president described the visiting English players as looking like diablos rojos — red devils.
Under Brian Clough, Forest won back-to-back European Cups in 1979 and 1980 wearing the red shirt, one of the most extraordinary achievements in football history for a club of their size.
They returned to the Premier League in 2022 after more than 20 years away and their red shirt remains a beloved symbol of English football’s most surprising story.
18. Independiente
Independiente are nicknamed El Rojo — The Red — and the story of how they came to wear red is one of football’s most remarkable transatlantic connections.
When Nottingham Forest toured South America in 1905, Independiente president Aristides Langone watched them play and described the visiting players as looking like diablos rojos — red devils.
So struck was Langone by Forest’s red shirts that Independiente switched colours in 1908 and have worn all-red ever since, creating a direct line between a small English club and one of South America’s greatest.
Independiente have won the Copa Libertadores seven times, more than any other club in the history of the competition, making them the most successful club in South American continental football.
They are known as Rey de Copas — King of Cups — and their all-red jersey is one of the most historically significant in the world.
19. Urawa Red Diamonds
Urawa Red Diamonds top 5 football leagues in Asia
Urawa Red Diamonds are Japan’s most successful football club in Asia and the red in their name is not cosmetic — it comes from the Mitsubishi logo, which consists of three red diamonds, one of which remains in the current club badge.
The club was founded in 1950 as Mitsubishi Heavy Industries FC and became one of the original ten J-League clubs when professional football launched in Japan in 1993.
Their 2026/27 Nike home kit features a red base with a subtle zigzag lightning pattern woven into the front, the latest evolution of a red identity that has been central to the club since its founding.
Urawa have won three AFC Champions League titles, most recently in 2022, eight Emperor’s Cups, and one J1 League title, making them the most decorated club in Japanese football history.
Their red shirts fill Saitama Stadium with 60,000-plus supporters on big matchdays, producing one of the loudest and most passionate atmospheres in Asian football.
20. Brentford
(Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
Brentford’s 2025/26 season was special before a ball was kicked: it marked exactly 100 years of the Bees wearing red and white stripes.
The club was founded in 1889 wearing claret and blue from the Brentford Rowing Club, then switched to gold and blue in 1903 under the patronage of Lord Rothschild, before adopting red and white stripes in 1925 when competing in the Third Division South.
The precise reason for the 1925 switch has been lost to history, but it is believed to have been inspired by the colours of Middlesex county, within whose historic borders Brentford sits.
The 2025/26 centenary kit was manufactured by Joma and featured a classic collar directly inspired by the lace design of the very first 1925 red and white shirt, with “1925” embroidered on the socks.
Brentford were promoted to the Premier League for the first time in their history in 2021 and have established themselves as one of English football’s most admired and best-run clubs, wearing those famous red and white stripes at their modern Gtech Community Stadium.
OTHER POPULAR SOCCER TEAMS AND NATIONAL TEAMS THAT PLAY IN RED:

Portugal (red home with green trim)
Belgium (red home, the Red Devils)
Egypt (red home)
Austria (red home)
Spartak Moscow (red and white stripes)
Ajax (red and white home)
Red Star Belgrade (red and white stripes)
Athletic Bilbao (red and white stripes)
Sunderland (red and white stripes)
Stoke City (red and white stripes)
Southampton (red and white stripes)
AS Roma (deep carmine red)
Standard Liege (red and white)
Aberdeen (all red since 1939)
Middlesbrough (red home)
Tunisia (red and white)
Georgia national team (red and white)
Canada national team (red home)
Peru national team (red and white diagonal sash)
Spartak Moscow
Red Star Belgrade
Olympiacos
PSV Eindhoven
Granada
Austria national football team
Norway national football team
Albania national football team
Ajax
Wisla Krakow.

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I am Collins Nwokolo and I’m your top soccer blogger! Like you, I enjoy the beautiful game of football or soccer. I write informative articles on major football topics around the globe and I love sharing it with soccer lovers. You can connect with me on LinkedIn & X.