England confirm new kits for World Cup

England have confirmed their new home and away kits which will be worn at this summer's World Cup.

Once again manufactured by Nike as part of their reported £400m deal with the Football Association (FA), the home shirt has dispensed with the multi-coloured interpretation of the St George's Cross that caused controversy when the previous strips were unveiled two years ago.

Instead, the inside collar of the latest shirts bear the words 'happy and glorious' in a nod to the national anthem, God Save the King.

Set to be worn against Uruguay at Wembley next Friday, Nike described the home strip as a "modern all-white design that honours England's heritage".

The shirt has a metallic gold star above the crest to represent the country's 1966 World Cup triumph.

The away strip reverts to a red shirt, having been purple since 2024, has a centred badge and will be paired with navy shorts.

Both kits will be available to buy from Monday, with the FA and Nike likely hoping to avoid a repeat of the furore caused by the previous kits.

Then, what Nike described as "a playful update to the cross of St George" led to the addition of navy, light blue and purple to the traditional red.

At the time, former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the national flag was a "source of pride" and identity which we "shouldn't mess with".

Sir Keir Starmer, then the leader of the opposition, also added his voice to the debate, saying the flag "doesn't need to be changed".

The launch of the new kits came hours after head coach Thomas Tuchel named a 35-man squad for the friendly against Uruguay and another against Japan on 31 March.

The German billed the camp as the "last opportunity for players to compete for their ticket" to the World Cup, which gets under way on 11 June and will be staged in the United States, Mexico and Canada.