Defending world champions Argentina will face England in the FIFA World Cup semi-finals on Wednesday night. Lionel Scaloni’s side will take to the field in Atlanta wearing their alternative blue jerseys in the battle for a place in the final. England will wear their traditional white jerseys, FIFA officially confirmed on Monday.
The decision was finalised following a coordination meeting between representatives of the Argentine Football Association (AFA), the Football Association (FA) and FIFA.
The announcement has brought back memories of the historic 1986 World Cup quarter-final in Mexico, when Argentina also faced England in their blue jerseys. It was in that match that Diego Maradona scored both the infamous Hand of God goal and the Goal of the Century.
England have worn their white jerseys in five of their six matches at this year’s World Cup. Their only appearance in the red away kit came in the group stage against Panama, which they won 2-0.
Argentina have worn their alternative blue jersey only once at the 2026 World Cup so far — in their final group stage match, a 3-1 victory over Jordan.
Wednesday’s match will be Argentina’s fourth World Cup encounter against England in which they have worn blue jerseys, having previously done so at the 1962, 1986 and 1998 World Cups. In their other World Cup meetings with England — in 1966 and 2002 — Argentina wore their traditional sky-blue and white home strip.
Under FIFA rules, the team positioned higher in the knockout bracket is designated as Team A and is given priority in choosing their kit. In this case, England held that status, allowing them to wear their home white jerseys. FIFA’s overriding objective in kit selection is to ensure maximum visual contrast between the two teams’ colours, making it easy for players, match officials and spectators to distinguish the sides clearly.
