Remembering the England Euro 96 Kit: White, Grey and Wembley

England’s Euro 96 kit came in two versions, both made by Umbro. The white home shirt with its navy collar was the first-choice strip of the Terry Venables era. The grey away shirt, which the FA called “indigo”, was worn only three times, and one of those was the semi-final against Germany at Wembley. Thirty years on, both shirts are still remade.

What the England Euro 96 home kit looked like

The white and navy kit was first worn on 3 June 1995, against Uruguay at Wembley, and it had turquoise flashes on the trim. Our replica shows the details most people remember: a white body, a navy fold-over collar with thin turquoise lines, the Umbro wordmark across the chest and the three lions crest in the centre rather than on the left.

The tournament version added two things. Euro 96 was the first time England players wore sleeve patches, and squad numbers were sewn onto the front of the shirts as well as the shorts. Front squad numbers became a permanent feature of England kits.

It replaced a short-lived design. The previous white shirt, with a new version of the crest, lasted from February 1993 to November 1994, and the “wine red” change kit from 1994 was still used twice in 1995 before the new away arrived.

The grey away shirt

Shop England Jerseys

Retro England 2010 World Cup Home Jersey$ 45,99Mens England 2024 Special Edition Red Jersey Player Version$ 51,99Mens England 2025 dark blue Polo Player Version$ 51,99

England’s traditional change colour is red. In 1996 the FA broke with that and introduced a grey shirt, grey shorts and grey socks. It was unveiled at Wembley on 27 March 1996 and was the kit England wore in the semi-final. It appeared once more, in Georgia that November, and was then retired.

Supporters did not take to it. The away kit went back to red and stayed red until 2011, when England switched to navy.

On our replica, the shirt is a blue-grey with lighter vertical panels, raglan-style shoulders and a white collar with navy and red trim. “ENGLAND” sits below the centred crest, a detail the home shirt does not have.

Euro 96: England’s route to the semi-final

Euro 96 was played in England from 8 to 30 June 1996 and was the first European Championship with 16 teams. As hosts, England opened the tournament against Switzerland and drew 1-1, Alan Shearer scoring after 23 minutes before a late Swiss penalty.

A 2-0 win over Scotland followed, then a 4-1 win over the Netherlands, often described as one of England’s finest performances. In the quarter-final against Spain at Wembley, 75,440 watched a 0-0 draw that England won 4-2 on penalties.

The soundtrack was “Three Lions” by David Baddiel, Frank Skinner and the Lightning Seeds. It topped the UK chart and gave fans the “it’s coming home” chant that still follows the team.

Wembley, 26 June 1996

The semi-final repeated the 1990 World Cup semi, and the 1990 shirts are covered in our post on West Germany’s 1990 World Cup kit. England wore grey in front of 75,862 at Wembley, with Hungarian referee Sándor Puhl in charge.

Shearer headed England ahead after three minutes. Stefan Kuntz equalised in the 16th minute, and the score stayed 1-1. Extra time was played under the new golden goal rule. Darren Anderton hit the post, Paul Gascoigne slid in and missed a Shearer cross by inches in front of an open goal, and Kuntz had a goal ruled out for a push.

Both sides scored their first five penalties. In sudden death, Gareth Southgate’s kick was saved and Andreas Möller scored to send Germany through, 6-5 on penalties. Germany went on to beat the Czech Republic 2-1 in the final with a golden goal. Shearer finished as the tournament’s top scorer with five goals.

Why the Euro 96 shirts still sell

Umbro made England kits from 1954, with breaks for Bukta (1959 to 1965) and Admiral (1974 to 1984), until Nike took over in 2013. The Euro 96 pair sit near the end of that run, and the grey shirt features in our ranking of the best 1990s football shirts.

If you are comparing a replica with a shirt from 1996, look at the crest, the collar construction and the care label. Our guide to retro remakes versus vintage shirts and the one on how to tell what year a football shirt is explain what to check.

Shop the Euro 96 look

• England 1996/97 home retro shirt: white, navy collar, turquoise trim.
• England 1996/97 home long sleeve retro shirt.
• England 1996/97 away retro shirt: the grey semi-final design.
• England 1996/97 away long sleeve retro shirt.
• England 1966 home retro shirt, from the World Cup year.

See every era on our England retro shirts page, browse the full England collection or our list of classic retro football kits.

FAQ

What kit did England wear against Germany at Euro 96?

The grey Umbro away kit, with grey shirt, shorts and socks. England lost the semi-final at Wembley on 26 June 1996 on penalties after a 1-1 draw.

How many times did England wear the grey Euro 96 kit?

Three. It was unveiled at Wembley in March 1996, worn in the Euro 96 semi-final and used once more in Georgia that November before being retired.

Who made England’s Euro 96 kit?

Umbro made both the white home and the grey away kits. Umbro supplied most England kits from 1954 until Nike took over in 2013.

Why was England’s Euro 96 away kit grey?

The FA introduced grey, which it called “indigo”, for the 1996 change kit instead of the traditional red. It was unpopular with supporters at the time, and the away kit returned to red afterwards.

Featured image: our England 1996/97 away retro shirt. Match and kit history from Wikipedia and Historical Football Kits. 433FC is an independent retailer of replica supporter shirts, not affiliated with any club, league or manufacturer.

Related: Germany Jerseys