The best England World Cup kit of all time isn’t the one from 1966. It isn’t the red with the high collar that Bobby Moore made famous. It’s the 1998 one. The one Michael Owen wore when he ran through Argentina. The one with the subtle navy blue trim and that slightly oversized fit that screams late-90s in the best way possible. And no, that’s not just nostalgia talking.
England has worn 15 different World Cup kits since 1950 and they’re debuting another one this summer in North America. So it’s a good time to rank them all, from the genuinely great to the ones that should have been burned after the tournament ended.
The top tier
1998 sits alone at the top. The shirt had this clean white body with a blue and red collar that actually worked. It helped that Owen scored that goal. But even without it, the design holds up better than most of what followed. The 1990 kit is close behind. Simple white with navy blue trim and a proper collar. Paul Gascoigne crying in that shirt is burned into English football memory for a reason.
The 1966 red kit gets its own category. Not because it’s the most stylish. The high neckline and long sleeves look almost Victorian by modern standards. But it’s the one that actually won something. That matters. The 2002 kit with the red stripe down the side deserves a mention too. David Beckham looking devastated after Ronaldinho’s lob is the defining image of that tournament for England fans.
The forgotten ones
England’s 1950 and 1954 kits are basically the same shirt. Wide collar, big crest, simple design. Clean aesthetic from a time when nobody was trying to sell you a lifestyle. The 1958 and 1962 kits lost the collar and went tighter. England lost to Brazil in 1962 and that was that.
The 1986 kit had a subtle pinstripe that nobody talks about. Gary Lineker wore it while scoring goals and watching Diego Maradona do something illegal. Good kit. Bad memory.
The ones we’d rather forget
The 2010 kit was aggressively boring. Plain white shirt with minimal detail. Matched the team’s performance perfectly. They lost 4-1 to Germany in the round of 16 and Frank Lampard had a goal that clearly crossed the line. That kit deserves to be ranked near the bottom for the bad vibes alone.
2022 was worse. That electric blue fade was a choice. Not a good one. England went out to France in the quarter-finals after Harry Kane skied a penalty over the bar. The kit and the ending both felt wrong.
The 2018 kit tried to add some detail but ended up looking like a training top. England made the semi-finals that year. The kit had nothing to do with it.
Where the 2026 kit fits
The new one has more going on than recent versions. Slightly busier trim. A bit of red and blue detail that nods to the 1998 and 2002 shirts without copying them. It’s not a classic yet. But it hasn’t been worn in a tournament either. The ranking will depend on what happens on the field. If Jude Bellingham lifts the trophy in it, nobody will care about the collar design.
England’s 1982 kit was the first one that tried anything bold with color. It’s aged okay. The 1970 kit was basically the 1966 shirt with short sleeves. The 2006 kit had the St George’s Cross on the shoulder and looked sharp. England probably should have won that World Cup. They lost to Portugal on penalties instead.
The 2014 kit was simple and elegant. England finished bottom of their group. Sometimes a good shirt can’t save you.
The ranking changes depending on who you ask and what memories they’re carrying. But the 1998 kit is the one. It always will be.
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