2020-2021
1st
1st alternate
2nd
Designer: Nike
Since Euro 2020 was postponed, and the Spring friendlies cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, England's new strips were not launched until September. Oblivious to history, Nike and the FA introduced a blue change strip. Seventy years before England had worn blue shirts when the United States humiliated them in the 1950 World Cup and the colour was promptly dropped. The new version was worn for the first time in the Nations League at Wembley against Denmark who wore their white change shirts to accomodate the FA's financial interests. England lost 1-0 and had two players sent off so that could have gone better. During the Euro 2020 tournament England wore their white strip in all but two matches on their way to the final, which they lost on penalties to Italy.
2022-2023
1st
1st alternate
2nd
Designer: Nike
Coming just 12 months after the postponed European Championships, 2022 brought the World Cup finals to Qatar. England manaaged the group stage easily enough, but in the Round of 16 they were beaten 2-1 by France. Nike's kits, launched ahead of the tournament, combined the traditional white shirts with light and dark blue (Blue Fury and Blue Void if you please). Red made a welcome return as the alternative but the blue applications and trim jarred.
2024-2025
1st
1st alternate
2nd
Designer: Nike
The new Nike designs for England's first choice strip were less adventurous than their previous offering but looked smart enough. There was some red and blue detailing on the cuffs, shorts and socks but the detail that set off howls of contrived outrage from the culture warriors (including the soon-to-be-former prime minister and senior politicians,) was a playful reinterpretation of the St George's Cross on the back of the collar. The row deflected attention from the "Dark Raisin" and "Sesame" change kit, which sounds more like the ingredients for a bagel than a football kit.
After starting badly, England reached the final of Euro 24 thanks to some flashes of brilliance from individual players rather than the quality of their teamwork. In the end they lost to a brilliant Spanish side. A week later Southgate announced that he had decided to resign as England's Head Coach.
Graphics by Daniel Stoker
Under Gareth Southgate, England's performances had improved in the final years of the previous decade but tactical naïveté was their undoing in high presure games. Having qualified for Euro 2020 comfortably there was expectation that with increased maturity the team would be able to compete at the highest level but the tournament was postponed because of the Covid-19 pandemic, disrupting their preparations. Nevertheless, they reached the final of the Euros in 2021 and again in 2024. 