The England national team’s World Cup kit appears to have leaked online – with the new shirt design paying homage to the national anthem.
There was widespread fury after the release of the current England kit, which features a red, navy blue and purple version of the St George’s Cross on the collar in a move that was branded ‘woke’ and ‘dumb’.
But it seems manufacturers Nike have gone back to basics for the shirt the Three Lions will likely wear in the United States, Canada and Mexico this summer.
The shirt, leaked on Footy Headlines, features a jacquard–style pattern throughout the white base, with red and white stitching on the navy collar and short sleeve band.
There are also red side inserts running down the shirt, with a navy outline.
Its most eye–catching details, however, are the prominent gold star – to represent the World Cup win of 1966 – and slogan ‘Happy and Glorious’ inside the collar, a nod to the English national anthem.
The shift to the gold star represents a change from the subtle monochrome star that features on the current England shirt.
It is thought that the shirt will hit shelves from this March. The last England shirt was released in March 2024, before that year’s European Championships.
Nike will be hoping this release lands better after facing calls for their last strip to be cancelled and remade before the tournament.
Announcing it at the time, the American sports brand said the kit promised to ‘celebrate football heroes of the past with a modern twist’.
They added: ‘A playful update to the St. George appears on the collar to unite and inspire.’
But a number of fans, including politicians Sir Keir Starmer and Nigel Farage were enraged at the new design bearing no resemblance to the original cross.
Sir Keir said: ‘The flag’s unifying, it doesn’t need to change. We just need to be proud of it. So I think they should just reconsider this and change it back.’
Farage added: ‘That’s it, it’s a multicoloured cross, it bears no relationship to the St George’s Cross whatsoever.
‘If the England football team think that’s acceptable well why on earth would you be apologetic about Englishness if you’re going to play for England in the European football finals. I think it’s an absolute joke.’
Reform UK MP Lee Anderson also described the move as ‘virtue signaling woke nonsense’.
Meanwhile, comedian Jason Manford wrote on X: ‘Oh dear…this is not gonna go down well! what a weird thing to do tho!
‘A US company having a cheeky play with another countries flag, let’s go back to Umbro I say, we won the World Cup in that kit.’
Despite the reaction, the shirt received the full backing of the FA and has been worn for almost two years.
