FIFA has approved Argentina's request to wear their navy blue change colours for the World Cup semi-final against England, a move that has generated excitement among supporters of the reigning world champions. The decision was confirmed by FIFA, which stated that England will wear all white while Argentina don their dark blue away strip.
Historical Significance of Navy Blue
The request appears to be rooted in historical encounters between the two teams. Argentina beat England while wearing navy blue in the 1986 and 1998 World Cups, but lost to the same opponents while wearing their traditional light blue and white stripes in both 1966 and 2002. The 1986 match featured Diego Maradona's infamous 'hand of God' goal, while the 1998 encounter saw England's David Beckham sent off after kicking out at Diego Simeone, with Argentina prevailing on penalties.
According to Argentinian publication TN, the kit decision has generated considerable excitement among supporters of the 2022 World Cup winners. The dark blue away strip has been worn just once in the 2026 tournament, during the group stage triumph over Jordan, though the England connotations have not been lost.
England's Kit Choices
While Argentina have secured their preference, there has been no word on whether England put forward a preference of their own. Thomas Tuchel's side wore all white for their quarter-final against Norway and their round of 32 triumph over DR Congo, but lined up in a white shirt and blue shorts against Mexico in the round of 16. England wore all white for the 1966 meeting but donned red shirts when David Beckham's penalty secured a group stage triumph in 2002. Tuchel's squad have worn their red change strip on just one occasion this tournament, during the group stage victory over Panama.
Coincidences and Patterns
The same TN report highlights further coincidences that Argentina supporters have seized upon ahead of the fixture. Notably, the South Americans topped their group unbeaten in both 1986 and 1998. They did the same in 2026, winning all three group games. However, they only came second in their group in the build-up to the 1966 encounter, which England won 1-0 thanks to a second-half goal from Geoff Hurst.
Fans have also pointed to the fact that a defender found the net for the Albiceleste in both 1986 and 1998 before their clashes with England. The pattern holds true this year, with Lisandro Martinez and Cristian Romero netting against Cape Verde and Egypt respectively.
Other Semi-Final Kit Confirmations
FIFA has also confirmed the kit colours for the first semi-final, in which France will line up in blue shirts and white shorts while Spain sport white shirts and red shorts. Both teams wore different combinations for their respective quarter-finals.
