As England secured qualification for the Euros next year we essentially saw the last piece of significant action for England's current home kit. The design, released in September 2022, was met with mixed criticism despite its attempts to break up the formula somewhat with a heavy dose of blues and, for my money, quite clever lion 'claw mark' details. In many ways I would argue that the biggest drawback was Nike's standard template, but regardless our attention as kit fans turns to what's currently in the pipeline.

2024 England Nike football shirt

England are expected to receive a brand spanking new set of threads from Nike for Euro 2024, and I wanted to put out a mixture of predictions and requests for today's Collectors Club.

Let's start with a niche desire of mine which I'm sure many of you will share. In my ideal world, England's 2024 home shirt would feature some sort of bespoke jacquard pattern in the main body of the fabric. So many of my favourite shirts both currently and historically have made use of subliminal patterns in the fabric. They add a level of interest to a design which can be appreciated both up close and from a distance, and they help make a design more dynamic without the need for any sort of tacky pattern or overly-manufactured 'design' element.

As we (hopefully) continue to try and move on from the post-Nigeria world we've found ourselves in, jacquards are the perfect solution in my eyes. The relatively expensive nature of jacquard production makes it a no go for many brands and teams, but no one is bigger than Nike or England in terms of being able to justify the increased costs.

2022 Lioness shirt 

The funny thing is both parties don't need to look very far at all to see an example of what I mean; England Women's 2022 home featured a delightful bespoke diamond pattern (player spec versions only), although curiously the team ended up playing shirts with standard patterns during their Euro 2022 campaign.

Looking next to potential directions for secondary colours, I'd be keen to see both blue and red utilised prominently as secondary colours together. Though far from a new concept, most Nike x England shirts have focused on either or as a complement to the white.

We got a hint of the full trio in the popular 2020 home, but I could see scope for more.

I'd even be interested to see if some sort of asymmetric design could land well. A shirt that springs to mind is the underappreciated 1987 home, which had subtle but effective asymmetric cuff details (and a lovely jacquard for what it's worth, as most shirts at the time did).

1980 England Umbro home shirt

Prominent red and blue on an England shirt is also a shortcut to popular success. Just think about what many people consider to be the greatest England shirt of all time, the 1980 home. I'm not suggesting a remake by any means as that's too obvious, but I don't think it's a coincidence that the colour combo resonates with so many people still today.

My next prediction is that we'll see some sort of flag detailing more prominently on the shirt. Though I wouldn't expect something like the flag-inspired looks of the 00s (2001 and 2005 spring to mind), it's been a little while since an England home shirt nodded to the flag. I'd take some sort of back neck or behind the crest detail (whatever FIFA/UEFA will allow!), or even something like what we saw from the legendary Peter Saville collection from 2010.

England football shirt collar

And as a final, simple thought it's time for a collar. I'm usually a big advocate for simple crewnecks, but a collared home shirt would fit in just right. We've had collared away shirts for a couple of rotations, but home shirts have been consistently uncollared. Though more a personal gripe than anything else, I'd insist on having at least two buttons on the placket and for the collar itself to be a decent enough size (no faux collars or grandad collars).

We shouldn't have to wait too long until we can see what Nike have been cooking for real, and given the attention they've been giving England and the success of the team I'm waiting with eager expectation. If any of the boxes above are ticked it'll be icing on the cake.

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