Tag: world cup

England Kit History: 2020-2024

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As regular readers will know I have documented the England Men’s National Football Team’s Kit History from 1960 to The Modern Day, creating some reference articles and documents for those that like to have quick reference to these things.

You can find the following, which takes a look at the decades in more details.

It is time to take a look at first half of 2020’s in some more detail, one of the most successful period’s in Men’s National team history which meant the team played 67 games across these five years, which is the most in a five year period in these records.

The Three Lions wore their Primary (Home) Kit 53 times and Secondary Kits 14 times. The use of the secondary kit was down on previous years to 21%.

This includes three tournaments where England have not worn a change kit, wearing only Primary Kits (including All White variations) in their 19 Major Tournament Games in this period of time.

2020

2020, a year like no other… with the World coming to a stop, football also stopped for a period of time and Euro 2020 was postponed until the following year. As domestic football was one of the first things to start up again after “lockdown”, International Football returned in September of that year with eight games played in September, October and November.

When the football did restart, England played in their Kits which were scheduled to used for Euro 2020, and originally planned to released in March. The Primary Shirt saw a return to the centrally placed Crest and Logo, this was the first time since 2004. The Secondary kit was Royal Blue, this was the first time the secondary kit was not red since since 2012, and the first time Royal Blue has been used since 1950s.

The first time the new kit was used was in The Nation’s League game Away to Iceland in it’s All White Variation, a look that would used a total of 10 times over the years this kit was used.

The default look with Navy shorts was used four times in total in 2020, including the first game at Wembley for the team in nearly a year against Wales.

The first time the secondary kit was worn was also at Wembley, this kit was used twice in 2020 both games at Home, in Nation’s League game against Denmark and the Friendly against Ireland.

2021

2021 was the year with the most games in a calendar year, with 19 games played in total with World Cup 2022 Qualifying and Euro 2020 all taking place through-out the year, with the kits launched the previous year.

England had their most successful tournament since 1996, reaching the final of Euro 2020. During their run to the final they wore their Primary Kit in all seven games, wearing All White in all group games and their last 16 game against Germany.

They only wore their default look in Quarter-Final and Semi-Final, with the Quarters being the only game played outside of Wembley Stadium, which was against Ukraine in Rome.

England used their Secondary kit five times in total in 2021, of which three of the games were played at Home.

2022

2022 was a World Cup year but a World Cup Year with a difference, with the tournament being hosted by Qatar it meant it was a Winter World Cup taking place in November / December, this also meant new Kits for The Three Lions before the tournament kicked off.

England started the year in kits from 2020 / 2021, meaning these kits had a life span of 33 games (24 for Primary Kit and 9 for Secondary Kit), the longest spell kits had been used since the early 1980s.

The final use of the Royal Blue Away Kit was against Germany in June, and was only the 3rd time it had been used in an Away game in it’s nine usages (being worn six times in Home Games).

The return Nation’s League fixture against Germany was first outing of the new England Secondary Kit, which was a return to red, the kit was All Red, although England had played in all red several times over the previous 12 years this was the first time All Red had been used as a default change kit since 1995.

The new Primary kit was a design that changed the overall look of the shirt. Turquiose blue returned as an accent colour, this was the first time since 1996 that we have seen this used in an England kit (it was also used in secondary kit with crest, logo and nameset).

The biggest design element was the use of the blues across the shoulders of the shirt, which provided a different take on the often plain white shirts and was first used against Italy in a Friendly in September.

You can find a more detailed review of these kits here.

The first competitive action this new kit was used in was the opening game of the World Cup against Iran, it was used with it’s default navy shorts. There was also saw a return of blue nameset which were last used in 2017.

England reached the Quarter-Finals of The World Cup, playing all five of their games in this Primary Kit with three games played in the default look and two games played with white shorts (USA and Senegal). The Knock-out games were also the first games England had played in December since 1995.

2023

This year was a relatively quiet year in terms of England Football, with qualifying for European Championship taking the majority of the game time.

The game against Ukraine (played in Poland) was the 2nd and final use of the current Secondary Kit, only being used twice in it’s life-cycle, this was least used kit since the first Nike Secondary Kit back in 2013, a real shame in my eyes as I believe this is one the best looking Kits that Nike has produce for England over the years.

The final use of the Primary Kit was against North Macedonia in November, which meant this kit was used 15 times in total in it’s 14 months being England’s kit.

2024

Another Major Championship year, meant new kits launched. The Primary Kit saw a return of red as accent / trim colour and more traditional looking white shirt. It was the Secondary Kit that was adventurous with its design, a new colour entering the change kit palette with the kit being marketed as “Dark Raisin”, a shade of purple.

You again find my more detailed look at these kits here

First wearing the new Kit against Brazil in the opening International Fixture of the Year.

The second game of that International Break in March gave us the debut of the new Secondary Kit at Belgium (who also wore their change kit in the fixture).

Euro 2024, was the third tournament of this 5 year period and also the third tournament in a row where England only wore their Primary Kit.

Again reaching the final meant they played 7 games in total, wearing their default Navy Shorts in 3 games and All White in 4 games, including the Final against Spain.

The All White variation was used eight times in total in 2024, the single most used look of that year, with the default navy shorts being used just six times.

Breakdown per year – 67 Games in Total

  • 2020 – 8 Games
    • 2 Primary Kit Variations
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variation
  • 2021 – 19 Games
    • 2 Primary Kit Variations
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variation
  • 2022 – 13 Games
    • 4 Primary Kit Variations
    • 2 Secondary Kit Variations
  • 2023 – 10 Games
    • 2 Primary Kit Variations
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variation
  • 2024 – 17 Games
    • 2 Primary Kit Variations
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variation

Well, that is the first half of 2020’s completed, 67 games in total, more games than any other five year period, there were three official primary and three secondary kits used and total of 9 different kit variations!

Let me know your thoughts and comments below or over at @Kit_Geek and a reminder that the overall visual page of the England Kit History is now also live on the site here

Resources for this article / project

England Football Online

Historical Football Kits

Adidas – World Cup ’26, International Kits

Posted in Kit News, World Cup Kit LogTagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 8 Comments

In terms of qualifying the “Road to World Cup 2026” is well underway, however the real start of World Cup Fever kicked off this week with Adidas launching this International Kits for the next two year cycle, so lets take a closer look at some of these kits and just for fun I have rated them!

Germany – Let’s kick off with one of the most anticipated kits, with this being the final Adidas Kit for it’s Home Nation for the foreseeable future (never say never). For me it does not disappoint and is one of the best kits of this launch, a look taking inspiration from 1990 and 1994 World Cup’s, this is going to be a hit for fans and football shirt collectors, and the long sleeve version is simply wonderful… and check the socks out, they will not disappoint!

Kit Geek Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Argentina – World Cup holders Argentina have a thick stripe to this shirt, the thicker Adidas Stripes (as you can see on all shirts) being black take a little some focus away from the overall look of the shirt, especially as the stripes are blue in the shorts, overall it’s OK but for me should have been better.

Kit Geek Rating ⭐⭐⭐

Spain – This is my favourite of the Adidas kits launched, a Spain shirt with a twist. The use of dark blue raglan sleeves here works really well, the Adidas stripes in the traditional Spanish colours are fantastic and are the only Country that have this take to the “3 Stripes”, the pinstripe in the body of the shirt is just subtle enough that lifts the overall look…

Kit Geek Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Italy – Italy have not qualified for the World Cup since Adidas has supplied their kits, so this (as long as they do qualify this time around) will be the first time The “Azzurri” have donned the 3 Stripes at this stage. Again another kit that is passable but the gold detailing does not work for me, especially with the opportunity to use the three stripes in the Italian Flag colours.

Kit Geek Rating ⭐⭐

Belgium – Belgium shirts often use different shades of red, this time is a vibrant red, paired with black and yellow detailing in collars, cuffs give a nice overall look to this kit, black shorts and socks as well and this is one of the nicest overall looks from this launch.

Kit Geek Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Mexico – Returning to Green as Primary colour (as standard within World Cup Cycles), this shirt is another looking back to the 90s, with this “Aztec” pattern in the body of the shirt. Nice use of red / white within the collars and cuffs gives a nice balance to what is ticks all the boxes of what you would expect form a Mexico Shirt, but overall my least favourite of the shirts we are looking at here.

Kit Geek Rating ⭐

Japan – Adidas and Japan is often a partnership that delivers, although this shirt is fairly simple in it’s design compared to some recent years, it works in it elegance, some nice design elements, I would have like to have seen the cuffs with red / white trim (as the collar) but overall a solid kit.

Kit Geek Rating ⭐⭐⭐

Colombia – A fairly standard looking kit for Colombia, the use of red Adidas stripes and then just the blue trim within the collar and cuffs works very well in my eyes. Interesting pattern within the shirt which are “butterfly motifs inspired by magical realism”, this adds some depth to overall look.

Kit Geek Rating ⭐⭐⭐

Wales – With many kits looking to the 90s, its refreshing in some ways to see a kit that looks to the 80’s, with this Wales kit. Again using green as one of the accent colours works well and lifts the kit from standard template to something with a bespoke feel. The central chest band design element is great and this one of the few shirts that has National Crest and Adidas Logo centrally placed.

Kit Geek Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Sweden – I like this one, and is inspired by the 70’s (apparently). The pattern in the shirt is inspired by the “popular flower stitching found on jeans and traditional Swedish folk dresses from the era”. What works for me is the use of blue across the shoulders, not going full raglan but this use of colour and then with the white Adidas stripes works well in my eyes.

Kit Geek Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Peru – The Peru kit is one that is difficult to much with given it’s iconic sash, this is a solid effort with some detailing with sash itself that is nice but the choice of design in the overall sash, making it blocky may take some getting used too, maybe they were inspired by my kit illustrations which use this look with sash shirts (of course not!).

Kit Geek Rating ⭐⭐⭐

Scotland – Adidas and Scotland is another one of the relationships that just feels right and I have really liked the kits produced in the 15 years they have been in partnership. This one is another great shirt, with a really nice subtle “Saltire” within the shirt’s body. My only complaint with the kit is the that this look is all Navy Blue, I preference is seeing Scotland in white shorts and red socks.

Kit Geek Rating ⭐⭐⭐

Algeria – The Algeria shirt is another kit that uses colours of it’s flag within the collar and cuffs, this use of green and red really lifts the shirt in my eyes. An interesting pattern with the shirt and certainly helps raise the overall look away from a standard looking template.

Kit Geek Rating ⭐⭐⭐

Costa Rica – There is plenty going on here, a vibrant looking shirt with pink detailing being inspired by “Guaria Morada orchid”, the country’s national flower. I think this shirt will prove very popular with Kit Lovers next summer, and one we will see a lot of.

Kit Geek Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Northern Ireland – This is an interesting design, there is blend of green tones with a pattern inspired by the “transatlantic ships traditionally built in Belfast’s shipyards”. The look creates a halved shirt, something a little different in International Football Shirts, so I am all for those choices. Matched with green shorts and white socks, so as regular readers will know I love a contrasting sock look!

Kit Geek Rating ⭐⭐⭐

There we have it, the build up to the World Cup has started, Any thoughts and comments about these Adidas Kits please let me know over at my Socials…

X – @kit_geek or Bluesky – Kit Geek

And if you are interested in buying one of these shirts please check out the link below – https://kitbag.evyy.net/KitGeek

England Kit History: 2010 to 2019

Posted in Kit HistoryTagged , , , , , , , , , , , , 19 Comments

As regular readers will know I am looking to document the England Men’s National Football Team’s Kit History from 1960 to The Modern Day, creating some reference articles and documents for those that like to have quick reference to these things.

So far, you can find the following, with this piece being the penultimate deep dive into a single decade.

We have now reached the final piece (for the moment) of our deep dive into England’s Kit History, the 2010s and a decade in which England played 120 Games between 2010 and 2019, this is the most games played by England Men’s Team beating the previous decade by 3 games.

The Three Lions wore their Primary (Home) Kit 89 times and Secondary Kits 28 times and a return of a 3rd kit worn 3 times! It was another decade where change kits increased in their usage, being worn with 25.8%, just over a quarter of the total games played.

The 2010s was also the decade where England’s kits would change manufacturer for the first time in 30 years and there would be all kinds of shorts and socks used with their kits!

2010 – 2011

Much like the previous years, 2010 kicked off with a launch of a new kit, this was partner to wonderful Tailored by Umbro Primary Kit, a very plain but stylish secondary kit in classic red! The Kit was again influenced in design of the 1966 World Cup Winning kit, for the second World Cup in a row! The difference here being the white trim on the cuffs of the sleeves.

For the World Cup in South Africa, England wore their All White Primary in their opening two fixtures and then followed this up by wearing all red in their final group match and the defeat to Germany, this was the final use of this shirt only being used four times in 2010.

The final time the Primary Kit was used was in a friendly with Hungary in 2010 at Wembley, this kit was used a total of 14 times in it’s 18 month life and will always be remembered as one of the best England Kits!

This meant a new Primary Kit, and one that was launched in September… a first for England in their Kit History. The Kit was still part of the “Tailored by Umbro” range and was designed by Peter Saville and contained several different colour St.George’s crosses across the shoulders of the kit, the more significant design change was the re-introduction of blue shorts, however this time royal blue was back for the first time since the Admiral kit was used in 1983.

It was not until the following September, that England would use another look and this again was the introduction of a new kit, and this one was a big change. The Secondary Kit was a colour that had never been worn by England before, officially marketed as “Galaxy” blue, this Navy / dark blue shirt included “Regatta” light blue shorts and details including nameset. Another kit from “Tailored by Umbro” range, this would be the final change kit in Umbro Era.

2012 – 2013

Another tournament year was started with a new Primary Kit, the final Kit provided by Umbro and replaced the previous kit that was only worn 11 times in total.

This Kit was another first and a significant change to what has come before it, this Kit was All White much like the 2009 / 10 kit however this one only used red in it’s details, there was no blue included in the kit for the first time, including the crest!

During the Euros England wore their Primary Kit in three of their four games, the only change came in the game against Sweden where alternative “Galaxy” blue shorts were used to give all dark blue look, and one that worked really well, with no navy shorts being worn with the Primary Kit. This was the only time this kit look was worn in it’s five appearances.

Another Kit first would happen in August 2012, England played against Italy in a friendly and wore alternative Red Shorts, maintaining the white / red aesthetic of the kit, this was the first (and currently only) time England had worn red shorts with their Primary Kit

2013 was a year of change, the game against Montenegro in March 2013 would be the final time that England would play in an Umbro Branded Kit!

The Nike Era had begun, in terms of kits the first kits launched were to celebrate England’s 150th Anniversary and arguably the Primary Kit is still one of the best kits produced by the US Manufacturer. A simple but classic look, with a return of Navy Shorts with the Primary Kit for the first time in it’s default look since 2008!

The new Secondary Kit returned to another classic red / white / red look, again with a simple shirt in terms of design, with a gold detailed crest to mark the 150th Anniversary.

2014 – 2015

2014 would see the start of a trend of Nike introducing new kits in a tournament year, this meant their first Nike Kits had a very short life, with that Primary Kit only be worn 8 times and Secondary kit being worn just twice!

This also meant that England had used 5 different Primary Kits in just under 4 years between August 2010 to May 2014.

The 2014 Kits for World Cup were part of a period were FIFA guidelines with kits suggested that one colour kits were preferred, so many teams followed this requested having single colour kits, England’s Primary Kit being one of them!

The Kit returned to All White, for the 3rd time in last 5 years, this time with Royal Blue details returning the kit.

The new Secondary Kit was worn in build up to the World Cup but did not make any appearances in the tournament itself, again red with white shorts in it’s default look, the shirt this time contained a subtle pinstripe within the shirt.

The End of gave us another Kit first for England, playing the “Auld Enemy” Scotland, where they wore all white for first time in what was 112th meeting of the two countries.

2015 was fairly uneventful in terms of kits, however the two uses of the Secondary Kit that year did provide England with an alternative look and the first use of an alternative shorts with an England Kit in 3 years, the all red look was used in games against Slovenia and San Marino.

2016 – 2017

2016, and the introduction of the Nike Vapor Template… one of the most controversial looks in England Kit History, with many fans rating this was one of the worst kits England has had. I am very much in the minority, as I really liked this look, it was a brave design choice and I think it worked really well… the kit contained sky blue sleeves, with royal blue rim and contrasting red socks.

The use of red socks was one that caused lots of debate, however if you go back over some of these deep dives, you will see it is a look that has been used over the years as an alternative!

England first used their Secondary kit in this template against Germany (who also wore their change kit), this kit used darker red sleeves, also maintained the royal blue trim and had royal blue contrasting socks and it was used five times in total this year, including once at Euro 2016.

The Primary Kit was worn nine times in total and was worn in three out of the four Euro 2016 games!

2017 kicked off with another new kit, this time a 3rd Kit or is it??

It was marketed as a change kit, not confirmed as 3rd kit and given the red away was used after this kit was released, so in the interests of these records, lets called it a 3rd kit! Again it was the Nike Vapor template but this time returned to a dark blue, called “Midnight” blue this time and paired with black detail and was reminiscent to final Umbro Secondary Kit of 2011 / 12 with its light blue nameset. This kit was worn 3 times in total, twice against Germany in 2017, both Home and Away!

The use of this kit in March 2017, kicked off a run of four games with four different kit looks, with this being followed up with the default Primary Kit (red socks) worn against Lithuania, then alternative red socks being worn against Scotland… the first time that England wore a worn change kit playing them – you can find a more detail article about this here but this was due to Scotland having white sleeves with their kit at the time.

The fourth game in this run was against France, where England wore alternative white socks with their Primary Kit, to create an all white look (well apart from the sleeves).

A two year period of England kits that I enjoyed, but possibly very much on my own with that viewpoint!

2018 – 2019

2018 was another tournament year so a new set of kits was to be launched and we return to a more conventional look for both Kits for England.

A return to dark blue Shorts, although a slightly different shade almost dark indigo rather than navy blue, with some red trim and details across the kit!

The Secondary Kit also return to a classic look, with red shirt and white shorts, this shirt did contain a large but subtle St.George’s cross within it pattern.

England had a successful World Cup campaign, reaching the Semi-Finals and playing 7 games in total. This offered plenty of opportunity for Kit variations to be used. They wore all red in their opening Group game against Tunisia and the Knock Out games against Colombia and Sweden, this meant that it was their most used look in the Tournament.

They wore their default Primary Kit against Panama and Belgium in the Group stages and then worn white shorts (Secondary Kit Shorts) in the Semi-Final defeat against Croatia, for their classic go to All White look.

A look they would end 2018 playing four games in, with the games in October and November all using white shorts.

The 3rd / 4th Playoff game against Belgium was another game where both teams wore their Secondary Kits, this was also their second meeting in the tournament with different kits for both teams in each of the games!

This also remains the last time (as of writing) that England wore a change kit in Major Finals, having worn just their Primary Kit at Euro 2020, World Cup 2022 and Euro 2024 in a total of 19 games!

Our final year of this decade England played just 10 games, 7 fewer than the previous year and in these games they wore their Primary Kit 9 times, 6 in it’s default look with blue shorts and 3 times with white Secondary shorts.

The only time the Secondary Kit was used it did give us a new kit look, with the red shirt being paired with white shorts and socks from Primary Kit. This was the first time England had worn Red / White / White since 1998 in the World Cup Group game against Colombia, 21 years prior to this.

The penultimate game of the Decade was against Montenegro and this was England Men’s National Team 1000th Game and in this game they played in their traditional look of white shirts, dark blue shorts and white socks.

Breakdown per year – 120 Games in Total

  • 2010 – 12 Games
    • 2 Primary Kit Variations
    • 2 Secondary Kit Variations
  • 2011 – 9 Games
    • 1 Primary Kit Variation
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variation
  • 2012 – 13 Games
    • 2 Primary Kit Variations
    • 2 Secondary Kit Variations
  • 2013 – 12 Games
    • 2 Primary Kit Variations
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variation
  • 2014 – 13 Games
    • 2 Primary Kit Variations
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variation
  • 2015 – 10 Games
    • 1 Primary Kit Variation
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variation
  • 2016 – 14 Games
    • 1 Primary Kit Variation
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variation
  • 2017 – 10 Games
    • 2 Primary Kit Variations
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variation
    • 1 3rd Kit Variation
  • 2018 – 17 Games
    • 2 Primary Kit Variations
    • 2 Secondary Kit Variations
  • 2019 – 10 Games
    • 2 Primary Kit Variations
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variation

Well, that is the 2010’s completed, 120 games in total, plenty of kit usage, changes and looks throughout the 10 years and there were seven official primary, six secondary kits used and the single 3rd Kit and total of 23 different kit variations!

And that’s it, I hope you have enjoyed this series, and hopefully I will return to this in 2030 to look back at the 2020s!

Let me know your thoughts and comments below or over at @Kit_Geek and a reminder that the overall visual page of the England Kit History is now also live on the site here

Resources for this article / project

England Football Online

Historical Football Kits

True Colours – Volume 2 and International Kits

England Kit History: 2000-2009

Posted in Kit HistoryTagged , , , , , , , , , , , 16 Comments

As regular readers will know I am looking to document the England Men’s National Football Team’s Kit History from 1960 to The Modern Day, creating some reference articles and documents for those that like to have quick reference to these things.

So far, you can find the following, with this piece being the penultimate deep dive into a single decade.

It’s the 21st Century and England played 117 Games between 2000 and 2009, is the most games played by England Men’s Team in a decade, which The Three Lions wore their Primary (Home) Kit 87 times and Secondary Kits 30 times, no 3rd kit this time! However, it was the most time change kits have been worn with 25.5%, just over a quarter of the total games played.

The 2000s was a decade where England’s kits were solely supplied by Umbro but as we will see the frequency of changing was becoming an annual event for at least one kit.

2000 – 2001

England entered the 21st Century with kits they ended the 20th Century in, this is only year in this decade that we do not see a new kit in, as theme to rotate new Primary and Secondary Kits each year is in full swing in the 00’s!

2000 Started with England playing three games in a row in their secondary kit, in fact this year England played four games at home this year and wore this secondary kit in all of these games against Argentina, Brazil, Ukraine and Germany in the final game at the Old Wembley Stadium.

At the Euro 2000, England failed to make it past the group stages and wore their Home Kit in the defeats to Portugal and Romania, however their solitary victory in the tournament against Germany gave us the rare sight of these countries both playing in their Secondary Kits!

The final game of the year, against Italy was the final run out of then Primary Kit, one of the most under-rated kits in their Kit History was only used for 19 months and just 12 games.

2001 kicked off with England’s first Foreign Manager Sven-Göran Eriksson in charge and also started with a new Primary Kit and it was the re-introduction of red into the kit, with a thin stripe now included that went through the crest on both shirt and shorts!

The following game against Finland was the only (and final) appearance of Secondary Kit, having worn this kit seven times between 1999 and 2001, six of these appearances were in Home Games, the other as mentioned above in Euro 2000!

We did see a variation of the Primary Kit with white shorts, the all white look was used in two games and famously worn then David Beckham scored an injury time free kick to send England to 2002 World Cup!

2002 – 2003

2002, a tournament year and time for a new Secondary Kit, this one was a first… the version for sale was a reversible shirt, with the red football shirt containing a navy leisure shirt on it’s reverse! It made its first on pitch use against Italy in March but was most well known for being worn at 2002 World Cup against Argentina and was worn five time that year!

2003, started with the only appearance of a Secondary Kit that year and the final use of the reversible Secondary Kit, in a game against Australia which Wayne Rooney made his debut for England in one of 11 half time substitutes!

This year’s new kit was a Primary Kit and it was an evolution of previous kit, with more red being introduced into the kit, with sleeve trim being solid red and like the secondary kit it was also reversible with an alternative leisure shirt for the versions that were sold to fans!

One of the most important aspects of this shirt was the introduction of the “Star”, a single star was added to an England Shirt for the first time to signify their World Cup win in 1966. Although not it was not place above the crest, which returned to a central position as seen in the 90s, the star was located on left sleeve of the shirt!

All white was starting to become a regular alternative for England in these years, this look was worn three times in 2003.

2004 – 2005

There was a new Secondary Kit launched in 2004, and another red shirt and the current theme of the St.George’s cross influenced a secondary kit for the first time, with small crosses placed on the shoulders which was to represent fans having scarfs wrapped around their shoulders!

A big difference with this kit was the introduction of silver, the details, including nameset was silver and the shorts were also silver in colour, there was also a small piece of gold, with the star now located above the Crest for the first time in England Kit History.

This kit was worn 7 times in 14 games of 2004, the most we have seen in a single year and half of the total games, however it was only worn once in Euro 2004 tournament!

Another Primary Kit was introduced, and that St.George’s cross theme continued once again, with a single cross on the right shoulder, the World Cup winning start was placed above the crest on a Primary shirt for first time!

This kit was worn once in all white this year, when England played in USA against Colombia, there is something about this all white look that did not work for me and a little jarring compared with the all white looks used in the previous two kits!

2006 – 2007

2006 kicked off a run of 3 years in a row where new kits were worn in the opening games of the year, this time is was another Secondary kit and you guessed it, the St.George’s cross was the theme again with a cross detail on the right shoulder, however silver detailing was upgraded to gold…

A larger crest gave this shirt a more classic feel and was influenced by the kit worn 40 years earlier when England lifted the World Cup!

The Primary Kit was worn 10 times out of the 14 games this year and for the second major tournament in a row England wore their Secondary Kit just once in the group stages! The only one variation was used when the all white with this kit returned for it’s 2nd and final outing against Croatia!

2007 started with a new Primary Kit and there was a lot going on with this shirt, lots of detail, asymmetric patterns, a couple of Umbro Logos and some shoulder tapping!

England returned to a rebuilt Wembley Stadium in this kit, wearing in their first game under the Wembley Arch against Brazil having played across the Country since September 2000!!

This kit was in 11 times of 12 games in 2007, with alternative white shorts being used 3 times (two of these games at home)!

The only appearance of the secondary kit was the game against Estonia in June, which was the final appearance of the 2006 Secondary Kit, being just used 5 times in total!

2008 – 2009

England failed to qualify for Euro 2008, so the year start with another new kit (Secondary this time) and England’s second foreign manager with Fabio Capello taking charge of The Three Lions!

The new Secondary Kit was one of those forgotten kits, possbily due the fact that England failed to reach a major tournament so it was not seen on this stage!

It seem to be Umbro’s take on classic Admiral look of 1982, with blue (navy in this case) and white panels across the crest, a little more subtle than the Admiral version but an interesting look for the time!

This was another year which gave us half the games England played in a Secondary Kit, wearing it 5 times in total out of 10 games that year! England ending 2008 with 3 different kit looks in 3 games, wearing the current Primary Kit in it’s default look for the final time against Belarus in October!

The year ended with England wearing their briefly used Secondary Kit for the last time, this would also be the last time we see England in Secondary colours this decade.

England started 2009 in an all white look against Spain, using this Primary Kit for its final use and the busy design that had been used since 2007 was replaced with a Kit that in it’s visual concept was at the other end of the spectrum of what we had previously seen!

This was the “Tailored by Umbro” era and its first kit was what is considered by many kit lovers and England fans to be one of the finest kits in Three Lions Kit History!

Simple in it’s design, give us a wonderfully classic look and also moved away from blue shorts as default choice being all white and details within the shorts also being white to add to the clean look of the kit!

This kit was worn for the next 7 games, the longest “Kit-Streak” of a single kit look being used this decade and was worn 10 out of the 11 games that year!

The only game where all white was not used was against Ukraine which gave us navy shorts as an alternative look for the first time!

This made 2009 the first year since 1980 in which England did not wear a change kit in a calendar year!

Breakdown per year – 117 Games in Total

  • 2000 – 11 Games
    • 1 Primary Kit Variation
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variation
  • 2001 – 10 Games
    • 2 Primary Kit Variations
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variation
  • 2002 – 13 Games
    • 2 Primary Kit Variations
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variation
  • 2003 – 11 Games
    • 2 Primary Kit Variations
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variation
  • 2004 – 14 Games
    • 2 Primary Kit Variations
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variation
  • 2005 – 11 Games
    • 2 Primary Kit Variations
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variation
  • 2006 – 14 Games
    • 2 Primary Kit Variations
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variation
  • 2007 – 12 Games
    • 2 Primary Kit Variations
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variation
  • 2008 – 10 Games
    • 2 Primary Kit Variations
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variation
  • 2009 – 11 Games
    • 3 Primary Kit Variations

Well, that is the 2000’s completed, 117 games in total, little in kit variations with only Primary Kit used in All White as an different Kit Look but there were six official primary and five secondary kits used.

I will return with a look back at the 2010’s for the final installment in these deep dive looks (well until the end of 2029!).

Let me know your thoughts and comments below or over at @Kit_Geek and a reminder that the overall visual page of the England Kit History is now also live on the site here

Resources for this article / project

England Football Online

Historical Football Kits

True Colours – Volume 2 and International Kits

England Kit History: 1990-1999

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As regular readers will know I am looking to document the England Men’s National Football Team’s Kit History from 1960 to The Modern Day, creating some reference articles and documents for those that like to have quick reference to these things.

So far, you can find the following:

England played 112 Games between 1990 and 1990, a slight reduction in matches from the 80s and which The Three Lions wore their Primary (Home) Kit 88 times and Change Kits again just 24 times, the most time change kits have been worn with 21.5% of the total games being played in change kits, including two different 3rd kits, but more on that later.

The 90s was a decade where England’s kits were solely supplied by Umbro but as we will see the frequency of changing these kits significantly changed from what we have seen in previous years!

1990

The 90s started with a brand new set of kits released by Umbro, the set was made up of Primary, Secondary and 3rd kit! A set of kits which remains a fans favourites with all three kits seen today at England games in various re-releases!

The Primary kit was first used against Brazil in March 1990 and in the 15 games England played in total in 1990 they wore this look 14 times!

The only game where England did not wear their classic primary look was a World Cup warm up game against Uruguay at Wembley, England using their change kits at Home was becoming something of a theme now!

1990 was also a World Cup year, with England performing well and reaching the Semi-Finals, this meant that they played seven games in total at Italia 90, however they did not change from the Primary kit wearing it all their games!

1991 – 1992

The Summer of 1991 gave us England in five different kit looks, in five games..

It started with the only use of the 3rd Kit from this latest Umbro range, a victory at Turkey in May.

Then wearing Primary Kit against USSR and Secondary Kit against Argentina at Wembley.

The classic Primary kit was used in other look was when the Secondary shorts were added to create an All White look against Australia, this was the first of two games in that Summer Tour of the Southern Hemisphere where all white was used and one of only three times when the all white look was used in the 90s (the last use was a lot more well known than these ones)!

The final kit in this run was playing against New Zealand when in the first of two games, they went for another mash up, with secondary kit combined with Primary shorts!

1992 gave us a replacement 3rd Kit, with the Primary and Secondary Kits remaining in place for a 3rd year (the last time this would happen in England Kit History)!

This 3rd Kit was worn twice in 1992, at Czechoslovakia and Spain and is another well loved and regarded kit with this design incorporating “The Three Lions” in it’s design of both shirt and shorts.

As regular readers will know, England in Sky Blue is one of my favourite Kit quirks and I have written a dedicated piece all about England in Sky Blue which you can find here.

1993 – 1994

1993 started with the launch of a new Primary Kit, which starts a run of a new kit being launched every year alternating between Primary and Secondary, which would be theme of kit launches for the majority of remaining years in which Umbro would be the England Kit Supplier!

This kit was one of the forgotten kits of this period, likely as it was never worn in major finals with England failing to reach World Cup 94, the kit was first worn in the World Cup Qualifier against San Marino! The kit included a larger shield around the crest that we have seen before and a lot more red in the shorts!

In the summer of 1993, England played in a tournament in the United States in preparation for the World Cup the following year, this tournament saw England play three games (USA, Brazil and Germany) with two of them in the Secondary Kit from 1990, meaning this kit spanned four years.

However there were some slight differences with this one, the new crest (with larger shield), the updated Umbro logo, with capital letters used for wordmark and the nameset numbers / player names used for that season.

This kit was also used with Primary shorts of the 1993 Kit against USA, for another kit variation look.

With the team failing to qualify for the 1994 World Cup, it meant The Three Lions only played six games in 1994, the fewest since 1967.

However there was time to launch a new Secondary Kit, another kit that often gets forgotten, this was a darker red than seen before and marketed as “wine red”. It also included red shorts for the first time in it’s default look and the first time England played in all red since early 1970!

1995 – 1996

1995 started with England visiting Ireland, wearing their red secondary kit for the 2nd time, however due to crowd trouble the game was abandoned after 27 minutes.

In March, England launched their new Primary Kit and the kit that would be worn when England hosted the Euros the following year. This kit was big change from the previous 20 years, with no red in the kit for the first time since 1974, however a new colour was introduced, turquoise was now incorporated into all three elements of the kit’s trim!

It used a central crest for the first time in England’s Kit History.

Another change was the introduction different colour nameset, traditionally England had always used red numbers with their Primary Kit, this kit used navy with turquoise trim.

1996 started with a new secondary kit and at the time one of the most controversial kits, certainly in England’s Kit History. The kit was not red, and was “Indigo”, almost grey in its look! It was peak 90s in terms of it’s design and was certainly planned with one eye on what fans would wear rather than keeping with tradition!

First worn against Bulgaria in March (actually with solid red numbers), it was most famously worn at Euro 96 in the Semi-Final against Germany which ended in penalty defeat. It was worn one more time at Georgia, meaning it made 3 appearances in it’s only season of use! Although not regarded so at the time, this kit is considered a classic nowadays by fans and kit lovers alike.

And remember that this may be the only football kit to feature in a number one single… “Tears for heroes dressed in grey”, 3 Lions ’98!

1997 – 1999

During 1997 England launched two new kits, first a new Primary kit and then a secondary kit replacing the much maligned Indigo Kit!

The Primary kit saw a return to red as part of the kit, including the nameset and was first worn against Italy in February of that year, one of three games against them in 1997. The central crest / logo remained in place from the previous kit! The Primary kit was used in 10 times in the 11 games of this year!

The new Secondary kit was launched in the summer and was a return to red, with a stripe included in the shirt, the only “striped” shirt in England kit history so far!

The one game the kit was worn in 1997 was at La Tournoi, a tournament in France which was part of the preparations for World Cup ’98, England lifted the trophy in this kit after winning the tournament!

1998, A World Cup year and it was in the World Cup that see some interesting use of the two current England Kits, in their opening two games the default Primary Kit was worn, however in the final Group match against Colombia, the Secondary Kit was combined Primary socks to create a red / white / white look, the first time this combination had been seen in 16 years, also at World Cup (v France, 1982).

The next game, the Last 16 game against Argentina was another mash up, this time Primary Kit with Secondary shorts, to create an “All White” look (only the 2nd time this was seen in the 90s). The only thing about this mash up was the numbers on the shorts, being different from the shirt was slightly jarring (probably just me I know!!).

The final year of the 90s was the only year in which England used two completely different Primary and Secondary Kits in this decade, starting the year in games against France (Primary) and Poland (Secondary) of the kits from 1997/98!

April saw the release of a new Primary Kit, which was a stripped back kit in terms of design from the previous years and return to a more a classic look of the 1960’s! A return to just white and navy, the crest returned to it’s traditional position on the shirt and there was a crew neckline for first time in 10 years.

The final kit released this decade was also one of the strangest, remaining red in it’s colour it was made of woolen material which I am not sure was the most efficient fabric for elite sportsmen and something that is unlikely to return!

Breakdown per year – 112 Games in Total

  • 1990 – 15 Games
    • 1 Primary Kit Variation
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variation
  • 1991 – 12 Games
    • 2 Primary Kit Variations
    • 2 Secondary Kit Variations
    • 1 3rd Kit Variation
  • 1992 – 12 Games
    • 1 Primary Kit Variation
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variation
    • 1 3rd Kit Variation
  • 1993 – 11 Games
    • 1 Primary Kit Variation
    • 2 Secondary Kit Variations
  • 1994 – 6 Games
    • 1 Primary Kit Variation
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variation
  • 1995 – 9 Games
    • 1 Primary Kit Variation
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variation
  • 1996 – 12 Games
    • 1 Primary Kit Variation
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variation
  • 1997 – 11 Games
    • 1 Primary Kit Variation
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variation
  • 1998 – 14 Games
    • 2 Primary Kit Variations
    • 2 Secondary Kit Variations
  • 1989 – 10 Games
    • 2 Primary Kit Variations
    • 2 Secondary Kit Variations

Well, that is the 1990s completed, 112 games in total, different kit looks and changes, five official primary and secondary kits used and two 3rd Kits!

I will return with a look back at the 2000s!

Let me know your thoughts and comments below or over at @Kit_Geek and a reminder that the overall visual page of the England Kit History is now also live on the site here

Resources for this article / project

England Football Online

Historical Football Kits

True Colours – Volume 2 and International Kits

England Kit History: 1980-1989

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As regular readers will know I am looking to document the England Men’s National Football Team’s Kit History from 1960 to The Modern Day, creating some reference articles and documents for those that like to have quick reference to these things.

So far, I have the following:

England played 116 Games between 1980 and 1989, the most games in decade so far, saw The Three Lions wearing their Primary (Home) Kit 97 times and change Kits again just 19 times, the same number of times overall but only 16% of the total games.

The 80’s was also the decade where we started to see more regular changes in Kit Design.

1980 – 1981

The 1980s started with England in the same kits as they ended the 70s, however this was about to change with the second set of Admiral Kits introduced in May 1980 ready for the European Championships of that summer, the first tournament England qualified for in 10 years!

This Kit is one of England’s most well known and loved by the fans with it’s unique shoulder panels introducing more colour to the England shirt than had ever been seen before and huge leap from the Kit worn just six years before (Primary Kit of 1964-1974).

One thing to call out here was in the European Championship hosted by Italy, England wore a version of the Kit that was unbranded, to comply with UEFA laws of the time.

The team wore three different kit looks in 1980, with a return to all white look in the game against Romania, this was the first time in over 10 years since the team went for an all white combination, that was at The World Cup 1970 in Mexico!

1981 started with another all white look again and then in the next two fixtures both at Wembley (Romania and Brazil) saw the final outings of the first change kit from Admiral in it’s first use since 1979.

1982

1982 was a World Cup year and the first one England have played in for 12 years! It also gave us a new change kit from Admiral, the design mirrored the Primary Kit but used traditional red as the base colour. The first game it was used was the final warm up game before the World Cup in Spain against Finland, however it was its use in the World Cup that raised some eyebrows…

Against France in the opening game the shirt was paired with its default white shorts and white socks (from Primary Kit) for nice looking Kit Mash Up.

The interesting change was in the game against West Germany (2nd Group Phase of the competition) where there was slight change to the look of the shirt, with an extra white band appearing in the design.. also, this shirt carried the Admiral Branding!

Although not all players in the game had this alternative version….!

England meet West Germany in the Autumn of 1982 and went for another kit mash up, wearing change socks (red) with the Primary Kit… a look not seen since 1979, and just look at those wonderful numbers, might just be one of my favourites in England’s kit history.

1983 – 1984

In terms of kit usage 1983 was fairly uneventful, 11 games in total with the change kit used just once in its last outing was at Home to Greece in March, the final ever use of the famous kit design was in November when team played in Luxembourg, change was on its way…!

We are now into 1984, and a return of Umbro as the Kit Supplier for The Three Lions but this time carrying the “Double Diamond” branding for the first time, and they would provide kits for the next 29 years! The new look striped back the colour and design of the Admiral years and went for a more traditional look with a return of navy blue shorts! The kit was first worn against France in February 1984.

England toured South America in the summer of 1984 after failing to qualify for the Euros and this tour gave a first look of the new Umbro Change Kit, with the Secondary shorts and socks being worn at Brazil (remember that John Barnes goal) and Chile!

With the full Secondary kit being worn at Uruguay.

1985 – 1986

1985 gave us a return of the All White look again, mashing up Secondary shorts with Primary shirts / socks, this was worn in the game against United States that summer, not sure the light grey goalkeeper kit would be allowed to used with that kit nowadays!

The left over elements of primary / secondary kit were used in the game against Turkey later that year, with Secondary shirts and socks used with Primary shorts to give a red / navy / red look, one I particularly like England in! This also meant England went four games in a row with four different kit looks, the first time this had happened since 1974 and that included the change from Umbro to Admiral!

1986 was another World Cup year and like the last time tournament was held in Mexico there was an “airtex” version of the kit used for the tournament. By this team England had introduced a Sky Blue 3rd Kit, in the same template as the other two kits and for the actual tournament this kit was registered as the Secondary Kit for The Three Lions.

The only time elements of this kit were seen in action were in the Quarter-Finals against Argentina when they were worn with the Primary shirt to give us a unique white / sky blue / sky blue look, something never seen before or again!

This was the only alternative version of the England kits used that year!

1987 – 1989

1987 started with All white returning in a famous win at Spain, however by May of that year Umbro released their 2nd Primary Kit of their return for one of my favourite kit looks of all time.. first worn against Brazil! This would be the 4th and final official Primary Kit used in the 80s.

The change remained the same through 1987 was worn at West Germany and then for the final time in 1988 at Israel. The new change kit was introduced in Spring of that year and first worn against Colombia at Wembley in the lead up to Euro 88.

This was not the only change kit released, there was a 3rd kit in the same template. Regular readers and followers will know that this is my single favourite kit of all time and only got used in one U21 game, but we did get this wonderful Squad Picture of the Senior Team in this kit….. (so it had to be included)!

I have written a dedicated piece all about England in Sky Blue which you can find here.

These kits remain in place through 1989, were we got to see a couple of different kit mash ups, against Chile, white / white / red was used for the first time in 5 years!

This was followed by All White look against Sweden, however this game will be more remembered for how Terry Butcher’s kit looked at the end of the game…!

Breakdown per year – 116 Games in Total

  • 1980 – 13 Games
    • 3 Primary Kit Variations
  • 1981 – 9 Games
    • 2 Primary Kit Variations
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variation
  • 1982 – 15 Games
    • 2 Primary Kit Variations
    • 3 Secondary Kit Variations
  • 1983 – 11 Games
    • 1 Primary Kit Variation
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variation
  • 1984 – 11 Games
    • 2 Primary Kit Variations
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variation
  • 1985 – 12 Games
    • 2 Primary Kit Variations
    • 2 Secondary Kit Variations
  • 1986 – 14 Games
    • 2 Primary Kit Variations
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variation
  • 1987 – 8 Games
    • 3 Primary Kit Variations
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variation
  • 1988 – 12 Games
    • 1 Primary Kit Variation
    • 2 Secondary Kit Variations
  • 1989 – 11 Games
    • 3 Primary Kit Variations
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variations

Well, that is the 1980s completed, 116 games in total, different kit looks and changes, four official primary and secondary kits used and even the introduction of 3rd Kits! I will return with a look back at the 90s soon!

Let me know your thoughts and comments below or over at @Kit_Geek and a reminder that the overall visual page of the England Kit History is now also live on the site here

Resources for this article / project

England Football Online

Historical Football Kits

True Colours – Volume 2 and International Kits

England v Scotland, not looking like England v Scotland

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On Tuesday 12th September Scotland will host England at Hampden Park in the 150th Anniversary Heritage Match to mark the first meeting between the two sides in 1872. This is part of the year of events from the Scottish FA to celebrate the history of the association.

The original match is recognised by FIFA as football’s first-ever international match, at The West of Scotland Cricket Club in Glasgow, in front of a crowd of 4000 People.

The kits of the first match set the tone of majority of the 115 meetings between the two nations with Scotland in dark blue shirts. (however, not the origin of the blue Scotland shirt) and England wore white shirts. England wore caps, while the Scots wore red cowls.

When you think of England v Scotland in terms of kits the traditional look is often considered as the following…

Scotland – Navy Blue Shirts / White Shorts / Red Socks (occasionly Navy Socks with red turnovers)

England – White Shirts / Navy Blue Shorts / White Socks

However….

As part of the qualification of the 2018 World Cup, Scotland and England were drawn together in Group F and the Kit Designs of that time from Nike (England) and Adidas (Scotland) were the following…

Scotland’s Primary Kit was paired with white sleeves and navy socks, with England’s Primary Kit having “Sky Blue” sleeves and Red socks… and created what was considered to be a sleeve clash between the two kits

So when the two teams met in their group games, secondary kits were used by the Away Country to give a new look for both games of this most historic of International fixtures…

On 11th November 2016, the match at Wembley (3-0 to England) gave us Scotland in their Pink Secondary Kit, with Black Shorts and Socks…

The return fixture at Hampden Park on June 10th 2017 (finishing 2-2), saw England in their secondary kit paired with Red Home socks to give an all red look for The Three Lions.

Both fixtures proved controversial in terms of kits, traditionalists on both sides expressed their disappointment on the choice of kits of the countries, however given the kit guidelines of the time there was no option for the primary kits to be used in this campaign.

An “honourable” mention to when the two countries met in Group D of Euro 2020 at Wembley on 18th June 2021, in the goal-less draw the teams wore just a single colour each, with England in All White and Scotland in All Navy, this due to the default Scotland look being all Navy at this Tournament, but those complaining at what happened in 2016/17 should take comfort in the fact that both nations wear in their Primary Shirt Colours.

For the match on Tuesday 12th September 2023, Scotland will wear their special 150th Anniversary Kit which was first worn in the Euro 2024 qualifying match against Cyprus on 25th March 2023, this will be the second and final appearence of this quite wonderful kit.

England, although wearing their current default Primary Kit from Nike for the actual match, they will be wear a one-off Pre-Match Shirt containing the National Crest worn in 1872…. many fans commenting that should this kit be worn in the actual game… I will let you decide your opionion on that one!

There we have it, England v Scotland, not looking like England v Scotland, let me know your thoughts in the comments below and of course all shares of this post are appreciated.

World Cup ’22, Overall Kit Review

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Well that’s it, the 2022 World Cup is over, and after 64 Games Argentina have been crowned World Cup Winners for the third time after remarkable final against France, a game that will live forever as one of, if not the greatest World Cup Final ever!

It is time for me to take a look at the Kits worn through-out the tournament and those worn in the knock out stages.

I have separate posts about the group stages…

1st Round of Group games can be found here

2nd Round of Group games can be found here

Overall Group Stage review can be found here

A few stats….

There have been a total of 66 kits used throughout the tournament in the 64 games.

We have seen “Primary” Kits (and variations) used 68% and “Secondary” kits (and variations) used 30% of the time and 3rd kit 2% (just used the once)!

Argentina are the only team to wear 4 kit variations, with 3 different primary kit looks and their secondary kit worn once.

6 Nations wore 3 different kit variations in the tournament with 4 of those teams (Ecuador, Saudi Arabia, Costa Rica, Canada) in 3 different kits in their only appearances. Morocco and Brazil, using their 3rd variation within the knock out stages.

19 Teams have worn two kits and 6 Teams in the same kit for their 2022 World Cup games.

Knock Out Rounds Overview….

Primary – 10

Primary variations – 8

Secondary – 4

Secondary variations – 1

We have seen 7 new kit variations used in the final round of fixtures.

Knock Out Round Fixtures

Last 16

Quarter-Finals

Semi-Finals

3rd / 4th & Final

Looking at the teams journeys in a little more detail by group…

GROUP A – 8 Kits in total

The Netherlands reached the Quarter-Finals and only used their Primary kit, Senegal the other team to reach the knock out stages wore their Secondary Kit for the first time in their defeat to England.

GROUP B – 8 Kits

No new kits on show in the knock out games from teams in Group B, England ended the tournament without using their secondary kit, just the two variations of Primary Kit, this was the case for the second Major Tournament in a row.

GROUP C – 10 Kits

Argentina in 4 kits, used their Primary with white shorts and socks in three of their four games in the knock out phase of the competition, Poland were one of those teams that only used one kit in all their appearances.

GROUP D – 7 Kits

France were another team that did not use their secondary kit (one of the most popular kits before the start of the tournament), using two variations of their Primary kit, the all blue look was used twice including the Final.

GROUP E – 9 Kits

Spain were the only team in the competition that did not wear either their default Primary or Secondary kits, following their use of all red in the group stages with alternative white shorts with their Secondary Kit. Japan also in a second look for the tournament in their knock out game against Croatia, with alternative blue shorts used with their Primary Kit.

GROUP F – 9 Kits

Two teams from the group reached the final four of the competition, with Morocco using a Kit Mash up in their Semi Final against France, pairing their Primary Kit with Secondary white socks. Croatia unlike recent tournaments were mainly seen in the Primary kit with their Secondary only used in their Semi-Final appearance.

GROUP G – 9 Kits

Brazil in their quarter final gave us another alternative kit for the competition, using their secondary socks with Primary Kit to give us a Yellow / Blue / Blue look, one often used by the Brazilians as an alternative look.

GROUP H – 6 Kits

No new kits on show from the teams in Group H, with South Korea only using their Primary Kit in the tournament and an appearance of both Primary and Secondary Kits for Portugal.

Overall kit highlights from the Knock Out Rounds…

The Semi-Final between France and Morocco gave us Kit Match Up with two teams in “Tri-Colour”, each element of the kit being made of different colour, thanks to Morocco using their secondary white socks with their Primary Kit.

Argentina the only team to wear four kit variations, with three different Primary looks worn and their secondary kit worn once.

Would it be a World Cup with Brazil using an alternative kit, this one with secondary socks works well with the green details in all elements of the kit given a clean variation of their Primary Kit.

There we have it, the 2022 World Cup is over, what are your favourite kits on show and favourite kit moments of the tournament?

Let me know in the comments below of over at @Kit_Geek on Twitter

World Cup ’22, Kit Log Group Stages

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We have hit the twelfth day of the 2022 World Cup, the Group Stages have ended and half the Nations are already on their way home.

It is time for me to take a look at the Kits worn through-out the Group Stages and those worn in the last round of games.

1st Round of Group games can be found here

2nd Round of Group games can be found here

A few stats….

There have been a total of 59 kits used throughout the tournament, out of a possible 96 kits,

We have seen “Primary” Kits (and variations) used 69% and “Secondary” kits (and variations) used 29% of the time and 3rd kit 2% (just used the once)!

5 Teams wore three different kit variations in their three Group Games, with 17 Teams have worn two kits in the first two group games and 10 Teams in the same kit for their three Group games.

Group Game 3 Overview….

Primary – 21

Primary variations – 4 (France, Mexico, Spain, Germany)

Secondary – 7

Secondary variations – 0

We have seen 12 new kit variations used in the final round of fixtures.

Game 3 Fixtures

Group A and Group B

Group C and Group D

Group E and Group F

Group G and Group H

Looking into the Groups in more detail…

Group A – 7 Kits

The stand out from a Kit point of view in Group A was Ecuador, who wore three different kits in their three appearences in this World Cup, with two variaitons of the Primary Kit being used. Hosts Qatar, used both Primary and Secondary Kits, with the two Nations progressing (Netherlands and Senegal) only using their Primary Kit in their three matches so far.

Group B – 8 Kits

Each team in Group 3 used two kit variations, with USA (x2) and Iran (x1) using both Primary and Secondary kits and Home Nations England and Wales only using their Primary Kit but with alternative shorts, Wales’ red shorts being part of their secondary kit and England’s white shorts being a bespoke alternative short for the Primary Kit. Wales’ final appearance in the group in the default Primary look was the 50th Different Kit Variation used in this World Cup.

Group C – 9 Kits

The most kits used in a Group, two Nations in the Group, Argentina and Saudi Arabia where two of the five Nations that wore three different kits in their three Group Appearances, with Argentina in both Black and White socks with their Primary kit and Saudi Arabia in their secondary kit twice, once pairing with Primary shorts and socks to give a “Green / White / White” look. Mexico and Poland are Nations that just used their Primary Kit, with Mexico in alternative green shorts once, meaning Poland were the only team to use just one kit in the Group.

Group D – 7 Kits

Three nations wore two kit variations in Group D, France in Primary Kits in all three games with their last game being paired with alternative blue shorts and socks. Australia and Denmark in both Primary and Secondary kits, with Denmark’s one appearance in a Secondary kit was paired with Primary shorts to give a “White / Red / White” look. Tunisia, the only team in the group not change from their Primary kit, wearing the one kit in their three appearences at this World Cup.

Group E – 7 Kits

The stand out Nation from a Kit view in Group E was Costa Rica, with three kit variations worn their three games, with Secondary used first, then two outings of the Primary kit, once with white (secondary) socks against Japan. Spain in all red of their games was something of a disappointment for me, Germany another team to go with the single colour look (twice) and one of the kits of tournament, Japan’s Primary being worn in all group games.

Group F – 7 Kits

Red is a common theme in this group but surprisingly both Croatia and Belgium have only worn their Primary Kits, with some controversy surrounding the Belgium secondary kit which was scheduled to be used but was changed on the eve of the tournament Canada one of the only Nations in the Tournament that has three registered kits, was the only one to use all three kits, wearing 3 of the 7 different looks in this game. Morocco, in one of my favourite kits of the competition with their Secondary kit which was worn against Belgium and Canada.

Group G – 8 Kits

Almost a nice simple group in terms of kits, all Nations in two kits, with Brazil, Serbia and Switzerland in Primary and Secondary Kits, with only Cameroon using a variation of kit when in their first group game against the Swiss they wore alternative (Secondary) green shorts, this created a Red v Green look that is something that is not normally seen due to impacts on Colourblind supporters / viewers, with the yellow socks of Cameroon being the only constrast in the two kits.

Group H – 6 Kits

The Group with the fewest kits on show, with just 6 kits used and no variations of kit used. South Korea and Ghana just playing in their Primary Kit, with Portugal and Uruguay using their Primary Kit twice and their Secondary kit just the once in their three group games.

Overall kit highlights from the final round of games…

Canada the only team in Primary, Seconday and Third Kits, first time a Nation has done this in The World Cup since Spain in 2014.

Mexico wore alternative shorts with their Primary Kit against Saudi Arabia, at first glance these appear to the Secondary Kit shorts but although they are also a darker shade of green they have white Adidas detailing in promo shots before the tournament and their use against Paraguay in September, so are these the secondary shorts for this tournament of just alternative home shorts, so why the darker shade of green? One of the Kit Mysteries of World Cup 2022.

Brazil used their secondary kit for the first time in their last group game against Cameroon, this vibrant blue kit is one of the best in the Nike Locker for this World Cup and seeing it action cemented that for me, I also think its the best change kit the Brazilians have had since 2002 World Cup.

That’s it, the Group games is now complete, what are your favourite kits on show and will we see more variations of kits through the knock out rounds?

Let me know in the comments below of over at @Kit_Geek on Twitter

World Cup ’22 Kit Log – Group Stage Round 2

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The group stage of the World Cup now reached is final matches, it is time to take a look at the kits worn in the Nations second group fixtures.

The first round of fixtures can be found here

Again, I am not 100% sure whether the “Home” and “Away” kit labels are completely correct when it comes to International Tournaments, I will refer to them as “Primary” and “Secondary” choice kits.

A few stats….

There have been a total of 47 kit used throughout the tournament, out of a possible 64 kits,

We have seen “Primary” Kits (and variations) used 72% and “Secondary” kits (and variations) used 26% of the time and 3rd kit 2% (just used the once)!

15 Teams have worn two kits in the first two group games, with 17 Teams in the same kit for both games.

Group Game 2 Overview….

Primary – 18

Primary variations – 5 (Wales, England, Costa Rica, Spain, Germany)

Secondary – 7

Secondary variations – 1 (Denmark)

Third – 1 (Canada) 

We have seen 15 new kits used in the second round of fixtures.

Groups A and B

Only Ecuador in Group A wore a different kit from their first games, the opposite was true in Group B where Wales were the only team to wear the same kit in both games, their primary with secondary shorts giving an all red look. England in their alternative white shorts, for a second Primary look this World Cup.

Groups C and D

No changes in shirts in Group C with Argentina in default white socks and Saudi Arabia in their full default second kit with green shorts and socks on display for first time the only changes. A couple more changes in Group D with Australia and Denmark both in their second kits, with the Danes using their home shorts to create a “white / red / white” alternative look.

Groups E and F

A change of look for Costa Rica, wore white socks with their Primary Kit, Morocco in their change kit, one of the best of the Puma kits on show this World Cup. It is likely we will see Canada in all three of their kits in this tournament wore their black 3rd kit against Croatia…. and Spain v Germany, well I’ll get to that below!!

Groups G and H

Cameroon in their second Primary kit look, this time with red shorts to give us a more traditional looking kit for the Nation. Only one team in Group H has used two kits, with Uruguay wearing their all white away kit in the game against Portugal

Overall kit highlights from these round of games…

Mexico Goalkeeper provided us with an interesting kit mash up, with red shirt and blue shorts and socks, a look almost Spainish in its appearence.

Spain v Germany was one of the most anticapted matches of the Group stages but from a kit point of view it was a disappointing spectical, with both teams playing in single colours rather than their standard default primary shorts and socks. From my understanding this was not something either Nation wanted but something driven by FIFA.

The French Primary Kit is getting better and better in my opionion, the details of the French “Tricolore” in both the shorts and shirt cuffs, is another little detail that adds to the overall kit, fast becoming my favourite kit of the tournament so far.

Canada, the only team in the tournament not to get a new kit are one of the few teams that have three kits to choose from, appeared in their black 3rd Kit against Croatia, a template kit but a nice looking kit, the National Crest is something that really “pops” on the kit and gives more depth than standard template… note the Goalkeeper is in the current 2022 Nike Goalkeeper template.

Round 2 of games is now complete, what are your favourite kits on show and will we see more variations of kits through out round 3 of games? Let me know in the comments below of over at @Kit_Geek on Twitter