Norway’s chances of winning the women’s World Cup are being hampered by a problem with their new kit.

They were looking forward to wearing the strip made by Nike, who took over as kit supplier in January, as they head to Canada to face Germany, Ivory Coast and Thailand in the World Cup which starts in June.

But Nike has not yet produced a strip designed for the female figure and the players were provided with what were described as “unisex” tops.

“We know they have done their best and that they haven’t had much time but it is a bit unfortunate that we should walk around with strips that look like tents,” said the Norway captain, Trine Roenning.

With the team ranked 11th in the world compared to 70th for the men, the Norwegian federation has been accused of getting its priorities wrong, but the ruling body is blaming teething problems.

“In an ideal world we would have had a strip tailored for women by now but it takes time to get the partnership working and to get women’s kits sewn,” said Ove Nystuen, the head of marketing for the women’s team. “The World Cup will be the only tournament without tailored kits for the women.”