England will wear their new away kit against Belgium today, but Gareth Southgate's side are unlikely to need to wear the purple shirt at Euro 2024 this summer.
England are set to wear their new purple kit when they host Belgium in a friendly match tonight, but are unlikely to wear the shirt at Euro 2024.
New kits were launched ahead of the tournament earlier this month, with Nike designing a purple kit away from the traditional red or blue stripes that fans have come to expect in recent years.
It is described by the FA as a reimagining of “iconic kits from the past with a modern twist, making a bold statement in eye-catching purple – a modern mix of the classic blue and red England change kits of the past”.
England will wear the shirt for the first time when they face Belgium, although it is a home match at Wembley in an attempt to promote the new shirt after its release.
However, it is unlikely that England will need to wear purple at the next Euros. In fact, the last time the Three Lions wore their away jersey in a major tournament was in 2018 when they lost 2-0 to Belgium in the third-place play-off.
At this year's European Championship, England will start their campaign against Serbia and Denmark, and although they are the away team in both matches, they will be able to wear their own white shirt as it does not clash with their opponents' red kits. .
There will be a clash between the kits in their final group match against Slovenia, who also wear a white home shirt, but England are the hosts in that match and their opponents will have to swap shirts. It is also unlikely that Gareth Southgate's side will be pitted against another team wearing a white home kit in the knockout stages, although it is not unlikely.
Against Belgium, England will also wear shirts without the names on the back in the second half as part of a campaign with the Alzheimer's Society, with the shirts set to be auctioned off to raise money for the charity. Chief executive Kate Lee said: “We hope this eye-catching gesture with the player jerseys will get fans across the country talking again, and thinking about the signs and symptoms of dementia.”
“By using football to highlight and raise awareness of the symptoms of dementia, we hope to not only encourage fans to donate towards our early diagnosis research, but also to support their loved ones as much as they support their own football team.
“This means taking crucial first steps in seeking a diagnosis if they suspect that someone they care about may be affected. Diagnosis can be daunting but it's better to know.”
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