What shirt have England worn in every World Cup Semi-Final?

England are one game away from a World Cup final again, and with Wednesday night's semi-final against Argentina looming, it felt like the right moment to go back through every shirt England have worn the last four of a World Cup.

There have only ever been three. That's how rare this territory is, and that's exactly why the shirts attached to these nights carry so much weight with collectors.

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What shirts have England worn in World Cup semi-finals?

1966 - beating Portugal at Wembley

England's only successful World Cup semi-final came on 26 July 1966, when Bobby Charlton scored both goals in a 2-1 win over Eusébio's Portugal at Wembley in front of nearly 94,500 fans. Charlton opened the scoring with a side-footed finish before adding a second from a Geoff Hurst knock-down; Eusébio pulled one back from the penalty spot, but it was too late. The shirt on Charlton's back that night was the plain white Umbro home top of the era, crew-neck collar, no sponsor, three lions on the chest. Four days later England beat West Germany 4-2 in the same shirt to win the only World Cup they've ever lifted, which makes this the single most successful semi-final shirt in England's history.

1990 - penalties against West Germany in Turin

Italia '90 is the shirt collectors usually reach for first when this topic comes up. England's white and navy Umbro home kit, the one with the diamond trim and "FIFA WORLD CUP ITALIA '90" lettering below the badge, was worn throughout the tournament, including the semi-final against West Germany in Turin on 4 July 1990.

Andreas Brehme put West Germany ahead in the second half, Gary Lineker equalised to send it to extra time, and the game went to penalties after 120 minutes with no further goals. Stuart Pearce and Chris Waddle both missed from the spot and West Germany went through, going on to beat Argentina in the final.

It's the shirt of Gazza's tears as much as it is Lineker's goal, and it remains one of the most collected England shirts we sell.

2018 - extra-time heartbreak against Croatia

England's first World Cup semi-final in 28 years came in Moscow on 11 July 2018. Kieran Trippier gave England a dream start with a free-kick after just four minutes and 44 seconds, the fastest goal in a World Cup semi-final since 1958, wearing the white Nike home shirt of that tournament. Croatia levelled through Ivan Perišić in the 68th minute and Mario Mandžukić won it for Croatia deep into extra time, sending Croatia to their first World Cup final.

The shirt still sells well off the back of that run, in no small part because it was the shirt of a genuinely different-feeling England team.

What shirts have England worn Against Argentina?

Wednesday isn't the first time England and Argentina have collided in the biggest moments a World Cup has to offer, and the shirts from those meetings are some of the most requested in the authenticity space we cover.

In the 1986 quarter-final in Mexico City, England wore their white Umbro home shirt against an Argentina side who'd hurriedly sourced a dark blue replacement kit from a local shop just days before kick-off, the shirt Diego Maradona wore for both the Hand of God and the Goal of the Century in Argentina's 2-1 win.

Twelve years later in the 1998 last-16 tie in Saint-Étienne, England were back in white against Argentina's blue-and-white striped adidas home shirt, in a game remembered for Michael Owen's teenage wonder goal and David Beckham's red card; Argentina won on penalties after a 2-2 draw. 

The rivalry flipped colours in 2002, when England wore their red away shirt against Argentina's usual stripes in the group stage in Japan, and David Beckham's penalty settled it 1-0. Three meetings, three different England shirts, two defeats and a redemption.

What will England wear for the semi-final v Argentina, on Wednesday night?

England will be back in the all-white home kit for Wednesday's semi-final against Argentina in Atlanta, the same shirt they've worn in every match at this World Cup bar one. Argentina, meanwhile, are expected to switch out of their usual light blue and white stripes and into their navy away kit, a shirt they've only worn once so far this tournament.

History will not be lost on either set of fans: Argentina's away colours were the shirt Maradona wore in 1986 and the shirt Argentina wore again when they beat England on penalties in 1998.

Where can I get an authentic England shirt?

Every England shirt we sell comes with FSC's guaranteed authenticity policy, no fakes, no reproductions, ever. With official flock name sets, 10+ photos per listing and a 4.8 Trustpilot score from over 500 five-star reviews, we've built our name on getting collectors the real thing, whether that's a piece of 1966 history or a shirt from Wednesday night's semi-final. Browse our England shirts here.