> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.fortyonemag.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Meet the Young Designers Ready for Design FC’s World Cup - URL: https://www.fortyonemag.com/meet-the-young-designers-ready-for-design-fcs-world-cup/ - Published: 2026-05-29T13:29:35.000Z - Updated: 2026-05-29T13:29:35.000Z - Author: Dela Acolatse - Tags: The Beautiful Game, Art, Design FC, 2026 fifa world cup 37 Countries. 37 Youth Designers. 37 Stories. To celebrate the 2026 World Cup, the youth non-profit [Design FC](https://www.designfc.org/?ref=fortyonemag.com) has launched the [Youth Creative Collective](https://www.designfc.org/programs/youth-creative-collective?ref=fortyonemag.com), a global design initiative featuring youth-designed jerseys from around the world. Working with 37 partner organizations worldwide, Design FC has identified a youth leader in each participating country to design a jersey that tells the story of their nation. Each jersey becomes a canvas for these youth designers to share their stories with the world, and leave their mark on the world's biggest sporting event. During the World Cup, Design FC is highlighting these designers and their jerseys through a global social media campaign, and gallery exhibits across World Cup host cities. With Forty-One, we tell the stories and creations of five of these designers below. --- ***Natsuki, 18 — Japan FC RESIA, Tokyo*** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/02/77/0277a094-873f-4054-b336-9280daac3814/content/images/2026/05/383900D3-E025-451B-9AEE-5E47F0502BE2.jpeg) **Natsuki for Design FC* Natsuki is 18 years old and a member of FC RESIA, an inclusive girls football team in Tokyo that brings together players of diverse abilities and ages. Her jersey incorporates traditional Japanese patterns representing good fortune and safety, alongside koi, Mt. Fuji, and wave motifs connecting the front and back of the shirt. But the detail that anchors the whole design is small and easy to miss. In the bottom right corner, a caterpillar. On the left side, a butterfly. The caterpillar is her, right now. *"At this moment, there are many things in my life that do not go well. Sometimes I feel left behind as I watch others grow and move forward around me. But I believe that one day I, too, will become a butterfly and be able to fly. Just keep going. As long as you're alive, it's going to be okay." - Natsuki.* --- ***Geremi, 16 — Colombia Línea Subterránea Foundation, San Pablo, Bolívar*** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/02/77/0277a094-873f-4054-b336-9280daac3814/content/images/2026/05/F68719B1-FB2F-4A8A-A960-84378F9D3813.jpeg) **Geremi for Design FC* Geremi is 16 years old and part of the Línea Subterránea Foundation, a community cultural organization in San Pablo, Bolívar that uses the four pillars of hip-hop culture as tools for youth expression and violence prevention. He describes himself as someone who finds beauty and meaning in details that often go unnoticed, and his motivation is to represent Colombia from a less observed, more sensitive, and profound perspective. His design incorporates indigenous Colombian symbols alongside the pink river dolphin, the jaguar, the condor, and a sun referencing the myth of El Dorado. The key detail is structural: when the front and back of the jersey are joined, they form the silhouette of Colombia's map. *"I want to demonstrate that Colombia is much more than a country marked by violence, it is culture, creativity, identity, and expression." - Geremi* --- ***Marcus, 17 — Scotland Denis Law Legacy Trust, Aberdeen*** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/02/77/0277a094-873f-4054-b336-9280daac3814/content/images/2026/05/3C8D5ED9-62C5-4EE2-A866-6C8A171022B1.jpeg) **Marcus for Design FC* Marcus is 17 years old and a volunteer with the Denis Law Legacy Trust in Aberdeen, having come through DLLT's own programs as a kid and grown into a role model for younger participants. The Trust delivers free sport and creative activity directly into neighborhoods across the northeast of Scotland, built around removing every barrier between young people and consistent, quality programming. His design process was physical throughout. Oil-based ink rolled over the Scotland flag, solvent washed away to create marks representing Scottish weather. Jar lids pressed into fabric for yellow rings standing for community warmth. Red zigzag lines around the collar and sleeves for Aberdeen. *"The zig zag lines haven't changed, and still represent the bonds formed within the community."* --- ***Marie Pierre, 14 — Senegal Força Foundation, Keur Massar, Dakar*** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/02/77/0277a094-873f-4054-b336-9280daac3814/content/images/2026/05/D38E6C24-A208-4E27-9AB2-F21BF96D7C1A.jpeg) **Marie Pierre for Design FC* Marie Pierre is 14 years old and a student at Les Intellectuels de Keur Massar in Greater Dakar. She has been part of Força Foundation's football program for three years, training with her coach Cécile. Força works through football clubs and community associations across Senegal to create safe spaces where girls build leadership skills, health knowledge, and rights awareness. The green, yellow, and red of the Senegalese flag anchor the design, each color carrying specific meaning: hope and faith in the future, wealth and culture, sacrifice and courage. A lion sits at the center, symbol of the national team and the Senegalese people. *"The Senegal jersey is not just a designed shirt. It is the perfect embodiment of an entire nation." - Marie Pierre* --- ***Zeno, 12 — New Zealand Mt Roskill Intermediate School, Auckland*** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/02/77/0277a094-873f-4054-b336-9280daac3814/content/images/2026/05/EC603D68-FAA9-4FCF-9DF2-6A07F2F025A8-1.jpeg) Zeno is a 12-year-old Year 8 student at Mt. Roskill Intermediate School in Auckland, one of the most culturally diverse schools in New Zealand. He loves to draw and football is his favorite sport. He is part of the school's football academy, which has grown from 60 students to more than 250 over the past four years through a partnership with Auckland City Football Club. His jersey tells the story of Aotearoa New Zealand and its place in the Pacific. The Southern Cross sits above the shape of the local mountain Puketāpapa, the stars that guided the first Māori navigators to Aotearoa. At the center is the Niho Taniwha pattern, featuring 13 triangles connecting all 13 countries of Oceania Football. *"This design shows who we are. Connected, diverse countries who strive hard and stand together." - Zeno* --- Below is a comprehensive list of all participating organizations and their respective countries: *Argentina - La Nuestra* *Australia - Creating Chances* *Austria - Breaking Grounds* *Belgium - BX Brussels* *Bosnia & Herz - Cross Cultures CCPA* *Brazil - Foncesa Projeto & Recriando Raízes* *Canada - Canada Scores Vancouver* *Cape Verde - Delta Cultura* *Colombia - Love.futbol & Fundación Línea Subterránea* *Cote D'Ivoire - TackleAfrica - (Yaya Toure)* *Croatia - Center for Cultural Dialogue* *Curacao - Train Like Pros* *Ecuador - Fundación de las Américas para el Desarrollo* *Egypt - ASPIRE* *England - Football Beyond Borders* *France - Yard* *Ghana - WhizzKids United & Game Changers* *Haiti - Goals Haiti* *Japan - Sport for Creating Pathways Japan (S.C.P. Japan) - CG* *Jordan - War Child* *Mexico - Futbol Mas* *Morocco - Stah of Football* *Netherlands - Johan Cruyff Foundation* *New Zealand - Oceania Football* *Norway - We Play Green-CG* *Palestine - Palestine: Sports for Life (PS4L) - CG* *Panama - La Legión* *Paraguay - Fundacion Paraguaya* *Portugal - Associação CAIS* *Scotland - Denis Law Legacy Trust* *Senegal - Força Futbol* *South Africa - Grassroot Soccer* *Spain - Asociacion Alacran 1997* *Sweden - En Frisk Generation* *Switzerland - Swiss Academy for Development* *United States - Design FC* *Uruguay - Fundacion Celeste*