England’s World Cup kit faces tougher FA checks after St George’s Cross backlash
England’s 2026 World Cup kit will be subject to a new Football Association vetting process amid the backlash to the multicoloured St George Cross on their jersey for this summer’s European Championship.
The move comes with Nike refusing to rule out “messing with” the national flag again for the tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Telegraph Sport can reveal the FA plans an urgent overhaul of how England strips are approved in future amid extraordinary claims the man who signed off on the current shirt had failed to spot the “woke” change to the back of its collar.
The switch has been widely condemned, including by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, while England manager Gareth Southgate said the controversial design could not be described as the St George’s Cross because it is not red and white.
Sunak said: “When it comes to our national flags, we shouldn’t mess with them because they’re a source of pride, identity, who we are, and they’re perfect as they are.”
Sources say the design process for England’s World Cup shirt is likely to have already begun. It follows the revelation the FA commercial director accused of signing off on the design of the Euro 2024 kit almost two years ago, Navin Singh, may have missed the purple, blue and red cross upon being shown drawings of the proposed strip that sparked widespread revolt.
A source close to Singh, who quit the FA last year to become chief commercial officer at Six Nations Rugby, has denied he was solely responsible for signing off on England’s current kit.
Singh was said not to have seen the cross redesign, despite the source also alleging he had thwarted plans by Nike for colours used on the shirt to have more of a “rainbow” effect amid fears that would look like “virtue-signalling”.
Meanwhile, the sportswear giant has refused to commit to banning its designers from proposing changes to the St George’s Cross on England’s next kit or to provide any details of its plans for the 2026 World Cup strip.
The FA declined to comment, having broken its silence on the kit row on Friday, saying: “The new England 2024 home kit has a number of design elements which were meant as a tribute to the 1966 World Cup-winning team.
“The coloured trim on the cuffs is inspired by the training gear worn by England’s 1966 heroes, and the same colours also feature on the design on the back of the collar.
“It is not the first time that different coloured St George’s cross-inspired designs have been used on England shirts. We are very proud of the red and white St George’s cross – the England flag. We understand what it means to our fans, and how it unites and inspires, and it will be displayed prominently at Wembley [on Saturday] – as it always is – when England play Brazil.”
Nike said: “We have been a proud partner of the FA since 2012 and understand the significance and importance of the St George’s Cross and it was never our intention to offend, given what it means to England fans.”
