Why England are wearing blue rather than white in Women's World Cup final

England will play in their first Women's World Cup final on Sunday when they take on Spain in Sydney.

The Lionesses defeated hosts Australia 3-1 in the semi-final to reach the showpiece events, with goals from Ella Toone, Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo.

Manager Sarina Wiegman is contesting her fourth consecutive major tournament final, dating back to 2017 when she won the European Championships with Netherlands.

The Lionesses are looking to make it back-to-back major tournament crowns, having lifted the European Championship trophy at Wembley last summer.

There have been plenty of hurdles to jump over on the route to Australia and New Zealand, with star players Leah Williamson, Beth Mead and Fran Kirby all missing out on the World Cup through injury. Lauren James, meanwhile, was unavailable for the quarter-final and semi-final due to suspension.

All that has allowed other players to climb up and grab their opportunities - meaning Wiegman has plenty of selection dilemmas when it comes to selecting her starting XI for the final.

One decision already made is that the Lionesses will wear their blue kit for the match, rather than their white one.

Here is the reason why.

Why are England wearing a blue kit in the final?

Despite the World Cup final being played as a neutral fixture, there has to be a 'home' team and 'away' team for administrative purposes.

Spain have been assigned as the 'home' team for Sunday's clash, meaning they get to choose which kit they wear.

And La Roja have decided to wear their iconic red kit with yellow markings, and navy shorts.

The issue here, however, is that England's white home kit also features navy shorts, meaning the two kits would clash.

As a result, the Lionesses have to wear their blue kit instead in Sydney.

Speaking ahead of the game, England captain Millie Bright stated that the Lionesses must play 'the game of their life' in order to win the World Cup.

She said (quotes via Daily Mail): "I think everyone knows how big this is. I think it's been players' dreams for years.

"We know how passionate our nation is and how much they want us to win. We need to play the game of our lives."

Topics: England, Spain, Womens Football, Womens World Cup, Kit

Ryan Smart

Live in constant hope of the top flight as a Preston North End fan. Written in the past for SPORF, GiveMeSport and more.