Germany stands as one of the most historic international football institutions, boasting both iconic players and teams across the ages.

Whether it’s the dominant force that prevailed in the 1970s that cleaned up at both European and world level, the famed sides in the 1980s and 90s, or the triumphant winning squad of 2014, they have always been a contender.

As a result, the famous white-and-black strip is an unmistakable feature of Die Mannschaft, and is a design known all over the world and associated with football royalty.

However, when a kit clash occurs at international level, they are forced to switch to a far-less witnessed green strip. This is the unexpected trivia behind the colour that isn’t found anywhere on their national flag.

The Reason Why Germany’s Away Kit is Green

Action Images via REUTERS

Interestingly, the truth behind the inception of the green kit is shrouded in an urban myth. One story claims that, following the aftermath of World War Two, Germany was isolated from international sports and Ireland became the first country to agree to a friendly match, resulting in them adopting the country’s green look.

However, the timelines simply don’t match up. Their first match actually came a year earlier in 1950 against Switzerland. Instead, the true origin lies with the German Football Association.

Green and White are the official colours of the DFB, matching the governing body’s crest and logo. It is also matched to the colours of the pitch, ensuring it is more a neutral sports identity rather than a political one. Despite it being the lesser worn kit, it was worn during iconic moments such as their winning 1972 European Championship campaign and later 1990 penalty shootout victory over England.

Ballon d’Or winner Lothar Matthäus later remarked that:

Why Germany Wear White

Credit: Football Tweet

The famed home jersey is indeed rooted heavily in the history of Germany. Dating back to the 19th century, the white and black refer to the colours of the Prussian Flag — the state that led the unification of the German Empire.

Even though the political landscape changed dramatically over decades, it remains loyal to the traditional sporting identity. The colours were also favoured for their simplicity of early athletic wear. Countless icons have helped to elevate it to cultural significance; Franz Beckenbauer leading the country to glory in the 1970s stands out.

Plus, the introduction of Adidas as the designer from 1980 onwards gave us the iconic 1990 kits, with the simple home design possessing the three colours of the flag running across steeped in football culture. And the aforementioned green away strip is also a stunning creation.

Not many countries can boast football attire that is as beloved in the football vintage kit community as Germany’s — combining style with the rich history of being one of football’s elite nations.

US police have issued a statement after a shooting at a World Cup fan zone left one dead and another ‘seriously injured’ in San Jose, California, on Sunday night.

There were no World Cup games being screened at the time of the shooting, with the only match of the day in the ​tournament finishing around 2pm local time. But the spot, on San Pedro Square, is one of the most popular entertainment zones in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The Bay ​Area has hosted five World Cup matches so far, with the last game a ‌knockout ⁠match on Wednesday between Bosnia and co-hosts the United States.

Shooting at World Cup Fan Zone Leaves One Dead & Another in Critical Condition

Amber Searls/ Imagn Images via Reuters

Police in California have since released a statement about the incident, with several roads now closed while the investigation continues. They wrote on X (see the full post below):

A Reuters journalist at the scene saw a heavy police presence, multiple police vehicles and a person on a stretcher partially covered by a white sheet being rushed ​away from the ​area by people ⁠in uniforms, as per the Daily Mail. The scene was cordoned off and most bars in the area were closed after the incident.

Condition of Other Victim Emerges

Paul Childs via Reuters

A security guard, ​who declined to be named because she was not ​authorized to ⁠speak to media, said she saw the injured person in distress. “The person was still moaning and groaning. There was blood around his neck and upper ⁠back,” ​she said. “Police were talking to security and a ​couple of witnesses.”

Unfortunately, shootings and crime have not been rare at the 2026 World Cup, with five reported shootings taking place in Kansas City between the week before England were due to fly to their group-stage training base and now. The dangers of allowing gun licenses has cropped up in several flashpoints this summer so far.

Japan’s blue shirt has become one of their most recognisable features in world football.

From the days of Hidetoshi Nakata to the modern era of Kaoru Mitoma and Takefusa Kubo, the Samurai Blue have made that deep, vivid shade of blue their own, winning admirers across the globe for their football and their identity in equal measure.

But if you look at the Japanese flag, there isn’t a single shade of blue to be found. Just a red disc on a white background. So why does Japan play in blue at all? The answer stretches back nearly a century, and involves a university kit, an unlikely comeback, and a word that sounds a lot like ‘victory’.

Why Japan Play in Blue

Issei Kato via Reuters

The story starts in 1930, when the Japan Football Association first assembled a proper national squad for the Far Eastern Championship Games. Before that point, the top-ranked university team of the year would simply represent the country in their own colours.

When the JFA brought together players from across the nation for the first time, the squad was dominated by students from Tokyo Imperial University, and their kit was light blue. The players chose to adopt that colour, and Japan wore blue for the first time as a unified national team.

The colour stuck, but it was a match six years later that turned it from a practical choice into a national superstition. At the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Japan faced Sweden, one of the tournament favourites, in the first round. They fell 2-0 behind in the first half. What happened next became known as the ‘miracle of Berlin’. Japan came back to win 3-2, the first ever Olympic or World Cup victory by an Asian nation. They were wearing blue.

The JFA admits that the true origin of the Blue kit is not definitively documented. But the 1936 comeback cemented the association between blue and good fortune, and the colour has been a cornerstone of Japan’s footballing identity ever since.

Blue has not always been permanent. In the late 1980s, Japan switched to a red and white kit to better reflect the colours of its flag. It didn’t go well. They failed to qualify for the 1990 World Cup and the 1992 Olympics. Blue was restored in 1992, and the team hasn’t looked back since, qualifying for every World Cup from 1998 onwards.

Kachi-Iro and the Samurai Connection

For the 2018 World Cup, the JFA introduced a specific shade of deep indigo called Kachi-Iro for the home kit. The choice was deliberate, as Kachi sounds identical to the word ‘victory’, and the colour was historically worn by Samurai under their armour, which was believed to bring strength in battle.

That link gave Japan’s nickname, the Samurai Blue, officially adopted after a public vote ahead of the 2006 World Cup in Germany. The Samurai spirit, the indigo dye, the sound of the word for victory, all of it wrapped into a single colour.

The Badge on the Shirt

Issei Kato via Reuters

The crest that sits on every Japanese shirt adds another layer of mythology to the picture. It features the Yatagarasu: a three-legged crow from ancient Japanese tradition, said to have guided the legendary first emperor through treacherous mountains. The JFA adopted the Yatagarasu as its official emblem in 1931, and it has appeared on the shirts ever since. The three legs are said to represent heaven, earth and humanity — a symbol of guidance, purpose and direction.

It is a fitting emblem for a team that has spent the better part of a century finding its own path — and doing so, always, in blue.