The bag is the new kit: the best bag moments of the 2026 World CupThe bag is the new kit: the best bag moments of the 2026 World Cup

The 2026 World Cup has delivered goals, drama and surprises. But alongside the pitch a completely different story is playing out. At airports, in player tunnels and at team arrivals, the bag is the new status symbol. No replica shirts, no sponsor logos, but Hermès, Chanel, Dior and Bottega Veneta. These are the ten players playing hardest off the pitch.

Erling Haaland: Hermès HAC

Haaland travels with a Hermès collection worth more than most cars. Seven rare Haut à Courroies models, together good for more than 317,000 dollars. His most talked-about piece this tournament: the limited edition Endless Road HAC 50, decorated with mountain landscapes and a winding highway in blue and grey leather. He scores off the pitch too.

Memphis Depay: Hermès HAC 50

Memphis has been the style icon of Dutch football for years and the 2026 World Cup is no exception. The HAC 50 he brought along is one of the most coveted travel bags in the world. On Memphis it looks as if it was always meant to be that way.

Cristiano Ronaldo: Gucci Calfskin Leather Duffel

Ronaldo stepped off the plane in a Sacoor Brothers suit with a Gucci Calfskin Leather Duffel in hand. Clean, classic and self-assured. Not a rare collector's item, but a statement about taste that asks for no explanation.

Lamine Yamal: Chanel C26 Métiers d'Art Shopping Tote

At 18 years old, Yamal walked into the Spanish training camp in a Chanel bouclé tweed jacket with a Chanel C26 Métiers d'Art Shopping Tote. The bag is woven by Lesage, one of the last embroidery maisons in the world. On an 18-year-old in jeans on a football pitch it looked completely self-evident. That is the most expensive compliment you can pay a bag.

Marcus Thuram: Chanel x Pharrell XXL Flap in Lime Green

Thuram turned up with one of the most coveted bags of the moment. The Chanel x Pharrell Williams XXL Flap in bright green suede is a limited edition collaboration offered on resale platforms for more than 15,000 dollars. The colour is impossible to miss, the timing perfect.

Kylian Mbappé: Dior A5 Triangle Pouch

While his teammates arrived with oversized travel bags, Mbappé went for something small: a Dior A5 Triangle Pouch in the iconic Dior Oblique jacquard. Minimal, deliberate and standing out precisely because of it.

Neymar Jr: Louis Vuitton Horizon 55 and Keepall Bandoulière 50

Neymar arrived in a slate blue suit with a Louis Vuitton Horizon 55 case and a yellow Keepall Bandoulière 50 on top of it. Double LV, one look. Neymar always taking it one step further.

Virgil van Dijk: Chanel Large Shopping Bag

The Dutch captain arrived with a Chanel Large Shopping Bag in grained calfskin with gold-tone hardware. A bag that comes across as effortlessly as his game.

Maxence Lacroix: Bottega Veneta Andiamo Messenger

While the rest of the French team went for Hermès and Louis Vuitton, Lacroix went for Bottega Veneta. The Andiamo Messenger in black intrecciato leather is recognisable to those who know and invisible to those who do not. Exactly Bottega's style philosophy.

Rayan Cherki: Hermès Kelly Maxi Grizzly

Cherki carried the Hermès Kelly Maxi in Grizzly leather, one of the most imposing formats of a bag that has been among the most coveted in the world for decades. On a 20-year-old footballer who has just arrived for the biggest tournament of his life it did not look like he was trying. That is the point.