The report says the 48 competing nations have released 108 outfield kits for the tournament, while only 72 group-stage matches are available to rotate them through. That creates a squeeze immediately.
Most teams still work around the familiar pattern:
But a third option is only useful if the draw, the opponent and the colour assignment require it. In a short group phase, many alternate strips can quickly become decorative rather than functional.
The report suggests the likely absentees are mostly away or third kits, though there are exceptions. It says Ghana and Uzbekistan are not scheduled to wear their main shirt in any of their three group games, which is rare in a tournament built around national visual identity.
Other teams are reportedly set to go through the first round without touching one alternate option at all, while Ecuador, Haiti, Iraq and Jordan may not need their third kits in the group stage. That reflects a basic truth of tournament kit planning: variety sells, but scheduling decides visibility.
Not every federation faces that problem. The report says Canada, Cape Verde, Mexico and Panama are due to wear different kits in each of their three group matches. That is the ideal outcome for manufacturers and federations alike: full exposure, clear differentiation and no unused design left in the bag.
The next point to watch is the knockout bracket. Any team that advances can suddenly give an unseen shirt its first appearance, turning a forgotten launch into a late-tournament talking point.