England’s video kit launch for this summer’s men’s World Cup had a clubland feel.
There was The Streets’ Mike Skinner narrating — a voice as quintessentially English as Sir David Attenborough — collaborating with DJ and producer Fred Again amid plenty of strobe lighting and dancing.
But what about the most important bit… the actual kit? Will it be regarded as one of the all-time great World Cup efforts, something that will evoke pangs of nostalgia in years to come?
Let’s take a considerate look at what will inevitably be a bestseller no matter what happens on the pitch this summer.
The home shirt
This offering has what is called an “obsidian” and “speed red” collar and matching sleeve linings, with the words “Happy and Glorious” from the national anthem embossed onto the inner nape of the neck. The purple, blue and red St George’s Cross from 2024, which sparked national debate, is very much in the past.
One poster advertising the kit features Chelsea’s Cole Palmer holding a star on a chain, with “Guts 2 Glory” written across the top. “Risk it all. Take it all,” says the subheading, as if this were an advert for an underdog sports movie featuring Adam Sandler and Vinnie Jones.
The collar features an in-built arrow pointing down on the home shirt, just like the United States men’s national team. Brazil have it, too. Maybe it’s a good omen, or just another example that nothing is truly unique anymore.
Some fans are unhappy with the white shorts giving this kit a teeth-whitening look. Many prefer traditional navy blue shorts to break it up a little.
But there is a red line down the sides of each home shirt and, if you look closely, the word “ENG” and hidden lions. But, essentially, this is just another home shirt that brings the same old promise of glory.
The away kit
For England’s away kit, Nike has served up more… speed red.
The away shirt collar is similar to a hexagon, which other Nike kits have too (including the Netherlands and Canada). The badge makes a return to the centre of the chest — and for some, it has caused palpitations.
Djed Spence in England’s new away kit during Friday’s game against Uruguay (Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
But England kits have had badges in the middle before. The home shirt in 2020 was one example, and it happened multiple times in the 1990s for both home and away tops. The problem is, with the star and the Nike tick also on the shirt, it all gets a bit busy.
Aren’t we just lucky there aren’t any front-of-shirt sponsors on national team kits?
The goalkeeper kit
Jordan Pickford has been working triple shifts at Everton, England and in the world of fashion.
For the first time in the history of an England men’s kit launch, the goalkeeper shirt has been unveiled alongside the outfield players’ shirts. It’s one giant punch forward for the goalkeepers’ union.
The “astronomy blue” shirt has vibes of The Great Wave by Katsushika Hokusai meets the sun loungers of Benidorm. It’s likely going to be a popular hit on the beaches.
There is a large, bold star printed across the front which, at first, looks like the letter ‘A’. It is, in fact, another template Nike has used throughout its World Cup closet. It also links to its Hollywood star lifestyle collection, which dropped last December.
That collection does go cold in what is going to be one of the hottest World Cups on record, but did the pattern need repeating?