Argentina and England are set to meet in the semi-finals of the 2026 World Cup, with the South American side set to receive an early boost. The three-time world champion reportedly requested to wear a navy blue change color for the meeting, which was approved. For those curious about this request, this all appears to be related to a previous meeting between the two national teams. Argentina beat England wearing navy blue in 1986 and 1998, but lost to the same opponents in 1966 and 2002 wearing the traditional light blue and white stripes.
FIFA has confirmed that England will wear all white while Argentina will change colors. It’s not all bad news for Thomas Tuchel’s side. Coach Tuchel also wore all white to secure an important victory in the competition. But the warm memories of the 1986 and 1998 meetings will be fewer. The former depicts Diego Maradona’s infamous ‘Hand of God’ goal, while the latter sees England’s David Beckham sent off for a kick from Diego Simeone, with Argentina winning on penalties.
According to Argentine publication TN, the kit decision has caused great excitement among supporters of the 2022 World Cup winners. The dark blue away belt was only worn once, in the group stage win against Jordan in 2026, but its England significance has not been lost.
Argentina have secured priority, but there is no word on whether England have offered their own priority. He wore all white in the quarterfinals against Norway and in the Round of 32 win over the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but in the Round of 16 against Mexico he lined up in a white shirt and blue shorts.
The same TN report highlights a further coincidence that Argentine supporters seized on before the match. Remarkably, the South Americans were undefeated and topped their group in both 1986 and 1998. They achieved a similar result in 2026, winning all three group matches. However, they only finished second in their group in the run-up to the 1966 encounter, when England won 1-0 thanks to Geoff Hurst’s second-half goal.
Fans also point to the fact that a defender found the back of Albiceleste’s net both in 1986 and 1998, prior to the match against England. This pattern continues this year, with Lisandro Martinez and Cristian Romero scoring against Cape Verde and Egypt respectively.
England wore all white for the 1966 tournament, but wore red shirts in 2002 when David Beckham’s penalty sealed their group stage victory. Thomas Tuchel’s side have only worn red change strips once in this competition, during their win over Panama in the group stage.
FIFA has also announced the kit colors for the first semi-final match, with France wearing blue shirts and white shorts and Spain wearing white shirts and red shorts. Both teams wore different combinations in their respective quarterfinals.
