Official Japan football Shirts with player name badges. The Japanese wear their blue Shirts nicknamed "Samarai Blue" out of superstition. In the past. they wore white home Shirt kits. the color of which was derived from the national flag. However. after poor performances at the 1990 World Cup in Italy and the 1992 Olympics. it was decided to switch to the blue Shirts that they wore at their first major international competitive match against Sweden at the 1936 Olympics. in 2020. a unique jersey with a detailed "cloud camouflage pattern" was released specifically for Japan as the host of the 2020 Olympic Games. which were postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.