The England WAGs have hit back at Roy Keane after the Irish football pundit criticised their choice of World Cup attire, branding their replica shirts with players' names on the back as 'ridiculous'. The women, who are supporting their partners at the 2026 World Cup in the United States, have described Keane as a 'miserable old git' and are adamant they will continue wearing whatever they want.
Keane’s original remarks
Roy Keane, 54, made his comments on Gary Neville's podcast, The Overlap, when asked what he would put into Room 101. 'All the wives are in their jerseys with the players' names on the back… Wow,' Keane said. He argued that while children wearing such shirts is fine, 'all the wives wearing their jerseys with the name on the…' frustrated him to the point he couldn't finish his sentence. Keane was stunned that former Arsenal and England footballer Ian Wright disagreed with him, adding: 'A year later, they're separated, most of them! And they're all getting pictures, pointing at the Jimmy or Johnny on the back… Wow. Well, we know you're married… It's ridiculous.'
WAGs respond
According to a friend of some of the WAGs, speaking to the Daily Mail, the women plan to continue wearing the shirts unashamedly. 'They are adamant they will wear whatever they want. Why should they let someone like Roy Keane tell them otherwise? He's a miserable old git,' the insider said. 'The girls love to show support for their partners by wearing their names on their back, or at least an England shirt. It's a case of “Go away, grandad”.' Some of the WAGs ignored the criticism, while others 'have been giggling at why they wind him up so much'.
WAGs at the World Cup
The 2026 World Cup has been described as the most glamorous to date, with the WAGs flying to the US to cheer on the England team. Many of them are childhood sweethearts who have been together for years. Notable WAGs include Jordan Pickford's wife Megan Davison, whom he met at secondary school and married in March 2020; Declan Rice's long-term partner Lauren Fryer, whom he has been with for a decade; Bukayo Saka's girlfriend Tolami Benson; Harry Kane's wife Kate Goodland; and Jude Bellingham's influencer girlfriend Ashlyn Castro. They have been documenting their trip on Instagram, where they boast thousands of followers.
England's World Cup performance
The WAGs had plenty of reasons to celebrate last night as Thomas Tuchel's squad beat Panama 2-0 in their final group match, topping Group L in New Jersey. England will next play DR Congo on July 1 in Atlanta. If they win, they will face either Mexico or Ecuador in the round of 16, with hopes of advancing to the quarterfinals.
