Why Germany wear white despite it not being a colour on their flag

As one of the most decorated national teams in the world, all eyes will turn to Germany as they head into the the Euros this summer as the hosts and one of the favourites to lift the trophy.

But in the 2020 competition, Germany failed to impress after being knocked out in the round of 16 in a 2-0 loss to England having only won one of their group games.

Disappointment continued for German football fans at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, after the team failed to make it out of the group stages, finishing below Japan and Spain.

However, under the management of Julian Nagelsmann – who signed a contract extension with the national team in April – Germany have impressed with breakout stars such as Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz.

Alongside their decorated past, Germany have often made history due to their beautiful kits, such as the 1990 shirt which has since become a World Cup classic.

Unlike England, Belgium, France, Spain and several other European teams, Germany’s kit isn’t connected to their national flag.

The German flag is a tricolour of red, black and yellow but instead, the national team choose to play in white.

This is because of the flag of Prussia, the historic state that spanned from Russia to the western border of France.

The area of Prussia known as the German empire displayed a white flag, originally with a black cross in the centre, but this was later replaced by the eagle which can still be seen in the team’s emblem.

Having been set up in 1899, the German football team chose to take on the Prussian colours and decided to keep them despite the Kingdom of Prussia ending nearly two decades later.

Germany traditionally play in white (Image: Getty)

And they aren’t the only national team to wear a colour outside of their flag, with the Netherlands choosing to wear orange despite a red, blue and white flag.

Germany will face Scotland on the opening night of the 2024 European Championships on June 12, with Hungary and Switzerland completing the group.

If they progress to the round of 16, they could face England in a dramatic rematch of the 2020 fixture, as the winners of each group will face the other’s runners up in the next stage.