‘Defeat’ Hong Myung-bo in a T-shirt, ‘victory’ managers in suits? The hidden meaning of the World Cup bench ‘dress code’ [Sociology of Fashion]

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On the 25th at Monterrey Stadium in Mexico, during the Group A third match of the 2026 North and Central America World Cup between South Korea and South Africa. Manager Hong Myung-bo watches the game with a rueful expression. Yonhap News

Korean football fans are not looking kindly on manager Hong Myung-bo these days. Since the defeat to South Africa on the 24th, criticism over tactics and player selection has been pouring in.

Watching the broadcast often raises another question. Hong on the bench is always in a T-shirt, whereas managers from other countries encountered at World Cups or national team matches conspicuously prefer suits.

In fact, during the Korea-Mexico World Cup group-stage match held on the 18th (local time) in Guadalajara, Mexico, the two managers’ attire contrasted sharply. While Hong sat on the bench in a short-sleeved T-shirt, the Mexico manager directed the match in a full suit with jacket and tie despite the midsummer heat.

On the 19th at Zapopan Guadalajara Stadium in Mexico, during the Group A second match of the 2026 North and Central America World Cup between South Korea and Mexico. Manager Hong Myung-bo and Mexico manager Javier Aguirre watch their players from the sideline. Yonhap News

Gareth Southgate, the former England manager, drew attention at the 2018 Russia World Cup for his waistcoat suit. Japan manager Hajime Moriyasu is also known for insisting on suits at every national team match. In Korea as well, managers such as Guus Hiddink at the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup and Paulo Bento at the 2022 Qatar World Cup took the bench in suits for important matches.

This prompts a simple question. Players wear performance uniforms to run, yet the managers, who often move most busily along the touchline, choose suits. At times, managers look hotter than the players.

In truth, suits on the World Cup bench are not mere fashion. They are a kind of ‘dress code’ infused with the history and tradition of England, where football was born, and with the symbolism of the national team stage.

After the Korea-Turkey match at the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup, manager Guus Hiddink is tossed in the air by players. Kyunghyang Shinmun file photo

Modern football was systematized in 19th-century English public schools and universities. The class that shaped the game comprised upper- and middle-class elites. Etiquette was valued even at the ground, and managers and club officials naturally wore suits.

The BBC in the UK has explained that, in the past, a manager was regarded not merely as a tactician but as the gentlemanly face representing the club. The suit functioned as a symbol of authority, dignity, and leadership.

Indeed, the Scottish-born great Sir Alex Ferguson led Manchester United from 1986 to 2013, winning the Premier League 13 times. On the touchline he consistently stuck to a suit and tie, becoming synonymous with the ‘traditional British-style manager image’.

French manager Arsne Wenger likewise led Arsenal from 1996 to 2018 and was known for an intellectual image in long coats and suits. The British press often called him a ‘professor’. Portuguese manager Jos Mourinho, at the height of his career with Chelsea, Inter Milan, and Real Madrid, projected powerful charisma at the bench in a black suit and tie.

Manager Arsne Wenger on the touchline in 2017. Getty

The BBC also introduced explanations from tailors on London’s Savile Row, saying a suit can be akin to armor. They say it gives the wearer confidence and communicates authority and trust to those around them.

This tradition still survives at some clubs. At Rangers FC, a storied Scottish club, the custom of managers wearing suits has virtually continued since the era of legendary manager Bill Struth, who joined the club in 1914 and led the team for the next 34 years.

According to the BBC, when Russell Martin( recently took charge of Rangers and stuck to wearing training wear, some fans complained that he did not respect club tradition. The BBC described this as evidence that, at Rangers, a manager’s suit is not just clothing but a cultural code symbolizing the club’s history and identity.

In football, a manager’s suit is not simply for style. A national team manager is both a tactician during the match and the face representing the nation.

World Cup broadcasts show the manager throughout the match. When a goal is scored, when protesting a decision, when embracing players after victory, the first person on camera is often the manager. For this reason, managers often dress in suits with the mindset of attending an official national function.

Japan manager Hajime Moriyasu celebrates after a win in a Group E match at the 2022 Qatar World Cup. AFP Yonhap News

Japan manager Moriyasu has repeatedly said, in effect, that wearing a suit straightens posture and heightens focus. He is known to wear suits provided by Dunhill (dunhill), the Japan Football Association’s official suit partner.

There are practical reasons as well. When only the manager wears a suit, spectators, referees, and broadcast cameras can immediately recognize who the manager is.

The BBC likewise analyzes that a suit helps distinguish the manager from other coaching staff on the bench. In past Olympic events, international broadcasts occasionally misidentified a coach as the manager when both wore training wear. In that sense, a suit works as a kind of ‘commander marker’.

In 2014, Park Ji-sung (left) and former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson. AP Yonhap News

What is interesting is that the number of suited managers has been declining in recent years. In the past, figures such as Scotland’s Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, France’s Arsne Wenger at Arsenal, and Portugal’s Jos Mourinho were taken to make suits and ties the bench’s ‘default attire’.

Recently, however, many more managers, such as Germany’s Jrgen Klopp during his Liverpool tenure and Spain’s Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, prefer training wear, knits, or casual jackets.

The BBC attributes this to the broader casualization of dress codes in society, with managers prioritizing mobility and comfort. During a match, managers pace the technical area for over 90 minutes, talk to referees, and issue instructions to players. It is natural that sportswear is more comfortable than a suit.

Even so, at World Cups the suit can still carry strong symbolism. At the 2018 Russia World Cup, England manager Southgate stayed on the bench in a waistcoat instead of a jacket.

As a result, the so-called ‘Southgate effect’ emerged in the UK. According to the BBC and British media, waistcoat sales surged at the time, and fans took to the streets in the same outfit to cheer.

The British retailer ‘Marks & Spencer’ assessed that Southgate’s waistcoat became a ‘national-team-level fashion icon’ during the 2018 Russia World Cup. As England reached the World Cup semifinals for the first time in 28 years, his neat waistcoat drew intense attention on social media and in the press, and sales of similar items actually soared. It was a rare case of a football manager’s clothes setting a trend.

Of course, there is no regulation that requires managers to wear suits at World Cups or in A-matches. In reality, quite a few managers, like Hong, take the bench in T-shirts or training wear.

Even so, many managers still pull out a suit for big games. Just as players take the pitch in their national team kit, for managers a suit is another kind of ‘uniform’. Perhaps the sight of managers adjusting their ties even in midsummer carries an old sporting ethos: to show proper respect before the responsibility entrusted by nation and fans, beyond winning and losing.