Why Argentina asked to wear its dark blue away kit against England
Why Argentina asked to wear its dark blue away kit against England
Andrew Joseph, For The WinWed, July 15, 2026 at 4:37 PM UTC
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Argentina has arguably the most iconic home kit in the entire world with its light blue-and-white-striped jersey. But come Wednesday's World Cup semifinal matchup with England in Atlanta, Argentina won't be sporting the classic look.
That was apparently by choice.
For just the second time in this World Cup, Argentina will wear its dark blue and black away kit after FIFA granted the team permission. Argentina wore the uniforms in a group stage win over Jordan, but otherwise, it has been in the traditional home kit all tournament. England will wear its white jerseys.
The jersey matchup is somewhat of a superstition among the Argentinian national team when it comes to facing England.
Argentina wore its away kit in 1986
In the 1986 World Cup quarterfinal matchup against England, Argentina wore its dark blue away kit when Diego Maradona scored his "Hand of God" goal to eliminate the Three Lions.
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The goal, which never would have stood had VAR existed at the time, has haunted England for decades. And when the two sides met in the 1998 Round of 16, Argentina wore the dark blue kit again when it eliminated England in penalties.
What England said about the uniform choice
England coach Thomas Tuchel was unaware of the jersey history until reporters asked him about it in the press conference.
Tuchel said he could relate to Argentina's superstitions, via Reuters:
"I would have done the same if there was any superstition combined with it. So credit to them. I was not aware of that."
In all likelihood, FIFA would have asked Argentina to wear its dark blue away kit even without the request. England is the designated home team, and the white kit would have clashed with Argentina's home uniforms.
Still, Argentina's reported request adds another wrinkle to the matchup's history.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Why Argentina is wearing blue and black uniforms against England in the World Cup
Source: “AOL Sports”
