17 Football-Inspired Nail Designs For a Winning Game-Day Manicure

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@nailartbysig / Instagram

‘ title=”a manicure with 49ers and KC chiefs nail art”>

Football season is right around the corner. Whether you plan on watching from home or are gearing up for weekends at tailgates and in the bleachers, we think one of the best (and cutest) ways to show your love of the sport is by getting decked out in some gear—hats and jerseys, yes, but also on your nails. Why not get a killer set to pay homage to your favorite football team? From mismatched manis featuring your team's colors to stitched accent nails, there are so many ways to bring team spirit to your fingertips. Scroll on to see 17 of our favorites.

College Game Day

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@chalkboardnails / Instagram

‘ title=”ASU inspired nails with red nails, gold nails, asu mascot painted on one nail”>

Rooting for your college team? Take some inspo from this ASU mani: Paint your school's mascot on one nail, initials on another, and colors on the other digits. If this is too difficult, you can always opt for a single letter on each finger, spelling out your mascot or school.

Feeling Sporty

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@brushednailsalon / Instagram

‘ title=”a few nails in sparkly silver, a few nails in navy blue, and 2 nails in light brown with white stitching that looks like a football”>

This manicure is perfect for anyone going to a football game and can be easily tailored to any team. Here, it looks like a Dallas Cowboys-inspired mani, with a blend of blue and silver on most of the nails (which can be switched out depending on your team's colors) and a football accent nail on the middle fingers.

If You're Neutral

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@melanated.mani / Instagram

‘ title=”close up of manicure with milky white sparkly nails”>

If you're going to the game to socialize, 1. We feel you, and 2. Consider going for a neutral mani—no team choice required. Pop on two or three coats of a milky white shade and top it with either chrome or a sparkle top coat.

Where's the Trophy?

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@digitzbydev / Instagram

‘ title=”close up of nails with sparkly gold french tips”>

"Where's the trophy? He just comes running over to me!" Thank you, Taylor Swift, for those magnificent lyrics, because they've inspired our next manicure. This darling gold set is reminiscent of a football trophy, and the French tips and nude base make for one game-worthy look.

Silver Helmet

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@nails_and_soul / Instagram

‘ title=”close up of nails with bare base and silver chrome detail accents in loops, swoops, french, and more”>

When we saw this cool-girl mani with silver details, our minds went to the silver helmets a few NFL teams wear. If you're a Raiders, Cowboys, Patriots, Lions, or Panthers fan, go for a lip gloss manicure topped with fun silver chrome designs.

Turf-Inspired

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@melanated.mani / Instagram

‘ title=”close up of nails with green abstract french tips that are ombred into the nail”>

For a more literal football manicure, go for a green set that evokes the turf. We love how this mani isn't solely one shade of green: It mixes greens and browns, resulting in an almost mossy-colored nail.

Micro Polka Dots

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@tinybrushes / Instagram

‘ title=”close up of nails with nude base and small red polka dots”>

Micro polka dots? Say less! The best part about this manicure is that anyone can rock it, regardless of their favorite team. Simply swipe on a nude base and paint tiny polka dots all over each nail in your team's color(s).

Touchdown Tips

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@brushednailsalon / Instagram

‘ title=”close up of nails with two nails painted brown with white details that look like footballs, other nails are sparkly green french tips”>

Ready for football season to officially begin? Show off your love of the sport with a fun touchdown mani. Pick two nails to be your "footballs," starting with a brown base topped with white for the stitching. For the remaining eight nails, paint on sparkly green French tips (aka the field!).

Bleeding Red

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@melanated.mani / Instagram

‘ title=”close up of nails with sparkly red, 2 nails are painted with nude base and red detail on tips”>

If your football team happens to have red as one of its colors—like the 49ers, Cardinals, and Buccaneers—this set is for you. Paint your favorite shade of red onto each of your nails and finish off with a playful sparkle topper. (Gold is perfect for the 49ers, while black is a fun choice for Falcons fans.)

WAG Approved

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@nailtherapy.co / Instagram

‘ title=”close up of nails covered in bubbles, nails have light pink base with rhinestones in every color dispersed throughout”>

We could easily see this rhinestone-heavy mani on a football wife or girlfriend. For the base of your nails, go in with a strawberry milk hue. Then, pop on rhinestones—in your team colors, clear, or a mix.

Out of Bounds

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@brushednailsalon / Instagram

‘ title=”close up of nails, one painted brown with white that looks like football, other nails green with white tick marks and yardage numbers like a football field”>

Stay in bounds with this football-centric mani. We'll always love a mismatched approach, but a full set of either design would make for a game-day-ready set.

French Tortoise

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@nailtherapy.co / Instagram

‘ title=”close up of manicure with nails in clear pinky base and tortoiseshell french tips”>

Tortoiseshell is a great way to evoke football in a more understated way. Tortie French tips locked in with a super glossy top coat will work just as well off the field as on it.

Football, But Make It Fashion

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@digitzbydev / Instagram

‘ title=”closeup of nails with half of nail painted green, white line going through middle, other half has neutral base with tortoiseshell french tip”>

Or, you can pair tortoiseshell with green and white in a half-sies manicure that's a little more obvious with its football inspo.

Go for Orange

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@themimid / Instagram

‘ title=”close up of bright orange nails”>

Not in the mood to do anything fancy with your nails, but still want to show off some team spirit? Paint them in your team's primary color. For example, if you're a Cincinnati Bengals or Cleveland Browns fan, go for solid swipes of orange.

Green Field

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@melanated.mani / Instagram

‘ title=”close up of nails painted green”>

Green is a gorgeous manicure color any time of year, but it doubles as festive during football season, reminding us of the field. Go in with three coats of your fave green polish to get the richest color possible.

Team Blue

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@nailsbysuman / Instagram

‘ title=”close up of french tip nails in different shades of blue”>

If your team is the Rams, Cowboys, Ravens, Lions, or Patriots, you're in luck, because all feature blue as one of their colors! Copy this gorg mani and adopt a gradient French effect, going from lightest to darkest on each nail.

Super Bowl LVIII

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@nailartbysig / Instagram

‘ title=”close up of Super Bowl LVIII nails with one hand dedicated to 49ers and other hand dedicated to chiefs”>

This beautiful and intricate Super Bowl LVIII set features both the Chiefs and the 49ers. Whether you have two teams you would like to support or are already planning out your Super Bowl nails, this one is worth adding to your mood board.

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