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Mexico 1998 Home Shirt: The Aztec Calendar Kit

A national symbol printed across the chest, Cuauhtémoc Blanco, and one of the boldest World Cup shirts ever made.

By Kickio· 8 September 2026· 6 min read

The short answer

  • The Mexico 1998 home shirt was made by ABA Sport and printed the Aztec sun stone across the chest.
  • It was worn at the 1998 World Cup, where Mexico reached the last 16 and lost to Germany.
  • Cuauhtemoc Blanco is the player most associated with the shirt.
  • Mexican sizing runs small; most European buyers need to size up.

Most national teams hint at their identity with a colour. Mexico printed a national monument across the front of the shirt.

Quick facts

  • Country: Mexico
  • Type: Home shirt
  • Worn: 1998 World Cup
  • Manufacturer: ABA Sport
  • Sponsor: None (international shirt)
  • Design: Green with a large Aztec sun stone graphic across the chest and body
  • Why it is a grail: The most culturally distinctive shirt of France 98

The design

ABA Sport, Mexico''s domestic kit maker at the time, put the Aztec sun stone - the carved calendar disc that is one of Mexico''s best-known artefacts - across the shirt in tonal detail. It is a huge graphic, and unlike most 1990s prints it means something specific rather than being decoration.

It is also a reminder of an era when national federations used local manufacturers, which is part of why the shirt feels so unlike anything adidas or Nike were producing at the same time.

The tournament

Mexico came out of a difficult group at France 98 and led Germany in the last 16 before losing 2-1. Cuauhtémoc Blanco, and the cuauhtemiña hop between two defenders that he performed at that tournament, is the memory most attached to this shirt.

Afterlife

The design is revisited whenever Mexico release a heritage kit, and it is regularly named among the best World Cup shirts ever made. ABA Sport-era shirts are increasingly hard to find in good condition outside Mexico.

How much is the Mexico 1998 Aztec shirt worth?

Originals in clean condition with an unfaded graphic carry a strong premium, and Blanco name-and-number versions more still. Check the recorded prices and any live listings on Kickio below.

How to spot a fake Mexico 1998 shirt

  • Labels. Period ABA Sport labelling with Spanish care text and Mexican sizing.
  • The calendar graphic. Detail in the sun stone should be sharp and correctly proportioned; reproductions usually lose the fine carving detail.
  • Crest. Embroidered Mexican Football Federation crest with period detail.
  • Fabric. Late-1990s polyester, often with a subtle textured weave.

How does the Mexico 1998 shirt fit?

Mexican sizing of this period runs small and short compared with European sizing. Expect to size up at least once, and buy on the measured chest.

Why it stays on the Grail List

A shirt that could only belong to one country, from an era when that was becoming rare.

Sources

Previous on the Grail List

Barcelona 1991-92 Away Shirt: The Wembley Orange

Next on the Grail List

West Germany 1988-90 Home Shirt: The Flag Across the Chest

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