Argentina to Wear ‘Lucky’ Dark Blue Jersey Against England in FIFA World Cup 2026 Semifinal
News Summary
- In the FIFA World Cup 2026 semifinal, Argentina will wear a dark blue away jersey against England instead of their traditional blue-and-white striped kit.
- The jersey is linked with superstition and luck, as it was worn during Argentina’s historic wins over England in the 1986 and 1998 World Cups.
- England will don their white home jersey for the match scheduled in Atlanta, USA, on Wednesday.
June 30, Kathmandu — In the FIFA World Cup 2026 semifinal against England, Argentina will opt to wear their dark blue away jersey rather than their traditional blue and white striped kit.
The semifinal, scheduled for Wednesday in Atlanta, USA, will see England take the field in their white home jersey. This marks only the second time Argentina has chosen the dark blue jersey in this tournament.
Argentina previously wore the dark blue jersey only once during the group stage against Jordan. In all other matches, they have worn their traditional blue-and-white striped design.
According to Argentine media, this decision is influenced not only by jersey regulations but also by superstition. The dark blue jersey is associated with two historic World Cup victories against England.
In the 1986 World Cup quarterfinal, Diego Maradona’s famous ‘Hand of God’ goal along with an unforgettable solo effort helped Argentina to a 2-1 victory over England, while wearing the dark blue kit.
Later, in the 1998 World Cup round of 16, Argentina also wore the same dark blue jersey when they defeated England in a penalty shootout.
However, in the 2002 World Cup, the jersey colors were reversed: England wore red, and Argentina wore their traditional blue-and-white striped jersey. England won that match 1-0.
FIFA typically allows teams to wear their first-choice jerseys but may require alternate colors if there is a risk of a clash or to accommodate viewers with color vision deficiencies.
England secured their semifinal spot by defeating Norway 2-1 in the quarterfinals, while Argentina beat Switzerland 3-1 after extra time.
– Based on BBC reports