'Black Panther' Fan-Art Imagines Wakanda's World Cup Uniforms

At the end of Black Panther, reveals its true nature to the world and embarks on playing a larger part on the global stage. While that largely means a bigger involvement in world affairs it likely also includes having a place in world sports as well and now new fan art is imagining what Wakanda would look like participating in the World Cup.

Graphic designer and illustrator Mark Yesilevskiy came up with his take on what both home and away uniforms would look like for Wakanda's national soccer team, drawing on both the fictional African nation's greatest hero, Black Panther, as well as the traditional dress of the all-female fighting force the Dora Milaje to do so. The result? Two slick uniforms that we can easily imagine looking sharp on the pitch.

First up is the home uniform. Done in largely black and gray with the splash of red and green on the team's official panther-based logo, the uniforms are a clear nod to Black Panther, complete with detailing around the neckline matching the claw-like detail on Black Panther's heroic costume. And, since this is Wakanda's national team, we're pretty sure Shuri may have worked a bit of tech into the uniforms, too -- though invisibility is surely against the rules.

For the away uniform, Yesilevskiy went with a bolder, brighter choice. The bright red and gold of the jerseys are an instant visual reference to the Dora Milaje. The neckline detailing is similar to the ornate collars worn by the forces and while the jersey itself isn't particularly ornate, the detailing along either side is a direct reference to the chevron details on Okoye's uniform as well as the chest pieces of the other Dora Milaje.

There's really only a couple of drawbacks we can see to these gorgeous uniform designs. The first? As much as we wish it were real, Wakanda's a fictional nation so we won't be able to cheer "Wakanda Forever" at their national team or see them play in the World Cup, which is currently going on in Russia. The other? Even in the Marvel Cinematic Universe Wakanda might not be taking the pitch. Thanos wiping out half of the universe with his catastrophic finger snap probably wiped out not just half of the Wakandan team, but half of the rest of the world's soccer teams as well.

What do you think about these Wakandan soccer uniform concepts? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

[ H/T: io9 ]