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AND THE WINNER OF THE WORLD CUP IS...
THE BIRKIN BAG

It's a massive flex, it's expensive, and, depending on who you speak to, it's just as hard to get your hands on

BY  MAHALIA CHANG

There's tension in the air in England right now. Usually that's due to regular stuff, like the Victoria line being one to two minutes late, or shortages of standing fans at Argos. Today (which is Tuesday, for all you in the future), it's because of the World Cup. England - blessed, nervous England - has progressed to the semi-finals, where we join Spain, Argentina and France. The vibe is tenser. The games are getting harder. That naughty little trophy, glinting gold, draws closer and closer and closer. Is it coming home? Are we just going home? (You will know the answer by the time you read this. Hope it went our way!)

And, listen, I have been doing my time as a football fan. I watched the smaller nations duke it out for draws. I booed someone blowing out their birthday candles because it was during the 90th minute of Australia vs Egypt (you're at a pub, mate... time, place). I fell asleep after Bellingham kicked that goal in extra time against Norway (I had a cold, OK?).

The point being: football = watched. But something I've been watching particularly closely is the style. This tournament, more than any other, the players have been turning it on. And since they usually have to travel in their mandated team tracksuits, the one thing they're having a lot of fun with is bags. We called pretty early on that this would be the Bag World Cup. Players have long turned away from the washbag era, where they all just carried around little dopp kits from various designers. Now, they've got the big guns.

Louis Vuitton Keepalls, in everything from Murakami cherry blossoms to metallic silver, have been popular. Chanel and Goyard got up there, with the likes of Lamine Yamal and Manu Koné. Bottega Veneta's intrecciato woven leather is still huge with the ballers. But there's one bag that has reigned - undoubtedly and indisputably - above all others: the Hermès Birkin.

You'll have heard a lot of Birkin noise recently, thanks to Erling Haaland, who has an impressive collection. (Not just raccoons, you know!) But really, the Birkin is everywhere. In every single variation. England's Declan Rice carries a gargantuan Haut à Courroies (HAC) 40 in an interesting shade of teal. France's Ousmane Dembélé is usually seen carrying two at the same time: a beaten-up black HAC 40 and a tan "Multi-Pocket" (basically a Birkin with a bunch of mini Birkins stuck on its front). Austria's David Alaba has one of those, too, in black - the same as Anthony Gordon (England). Meanwhile, Haaland owns two different HAC Endless Road variations, both inspired by David Hockney, and eight Birkins in general. Rayan Cherki (France) and Ollie Watkins (England) have tan and taupe, respectively, both in size 40. Lionel Messi (Argentina) and Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), the competing GOATs of the game, both have them. Virgil van Dijk (Netherlands), too.

It might be easier to list players who don't own a Birkin. But when I think about it, it's not surprising that Hermès' favourite son (daughter?) is such a popular choice. Footballers love to flex, bless them. And nothing flexes harder than a bag that's not only expensive (Birkin prices start at £10,000 - and that's for the smaller 30 size), but hard to get. You see: Birkins can't be purchased by walking into a store and grabbing one off the shelf. To buy one, you need to enter into the intricate and intimate Hermès dance. You need to spend the "pre-buy quota" in store before you can even put your name on the list. This process isn't advertised, so it's not a hard-and-fast rule, but rumour has it, you need to spend the price of the bag you want. Want a £12,000 Birkin? You need to drop £12,000 in other Hermès products first. Then you get your relationship with your sales associate, and then you can get on the list for a bag.

It gets more complicated from there. Generally, you can't dictate the Birkin you get - they offer you one, and it's up to you whether you accept it or not. What can you do about wanting a plain black and getting offered a lime-green croc? As Mbappé would say: For example, nothing.

Of course, footballers have stylists who do these things for them. Messi probably isn't waiting around in his local boutique for his sales associate. (Or maybe he is! Miami's Hermès store is real nice!) Still, it's interesting to see so many footballers congregate behind a single accessory. As sought-after as that World Cup trophy? No. But maybe a close second.

Big style reads of the week

The 2026 World Cup trophy is getting its very own Louis Vuitton trunk

Erling Haaland's stuffed raccoon is sold out, so buy his £8k watch instead

Why you can't buy Jannik Sinner's Wimbledon-winning Nikes

"The late, great Sam Neill taught me many things. How to quietly observe bees, how to stop and smell the lilacs, and how to appreciate a great wing-tip collar, an almost-extinct menswear relic.
Go well, Sam, you beauty."
Mahalia Chang, senior style editor

Office-sourced hits from GQ HQ

"Last Thursday, I bumped into my mate Louis Cheslaw out in Hackney. Louis hails from US GQ's Recommends team, so he has famously good taste. And on his feet were these knotty, ropey sandals from Xero x Literary Sport. Ventilated, unexpected, sick. Yeah, I'll take a pair."
Mahalia Chang, senior style editor