The badge’s three lions are traditionally linked to England’s royal arms. The first is associated with King Henry I, who ruled from 1100 to 1135 and was known as the Lion of England.
A second lion is tied to Henry I’s marriage to Adeliza of Louvain in 1121, with the symbol reportedly added to honour her father, Godfrey I, Count of Louvain. The third emerged during the reign of Henry II, after his marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine in 1154.
That symbolism had already crossed into football by 1872, when the three-lions badge was worn during England’s match against Scotland. More than a century later, the design remains the most recognisable marker of the national team.
The roses belong to a much newer chapter. They are Tudor roses, representing the House of Tudor and the Wars of the Roses, the conflict traditionally dated from 1455 to 1487.
Unlike the lions, the roses were not part of the badge’s medieval foundation. They were introduced after the Second World War, in 1948, when the FA’s 10 divisions were united. Their inclusion therefore reflects football administration as well as English history.
The contrast is central to the badge’s identity: ancient royal symbols sit alongside a design shaped by the organisation of the modern game.
England’s squad, formation and number 10 role will dominate discussion before Croatia. Once the match begins, however, the badge will carry a longer story than any individual selection.
That balance between inherited identity and present performance will be tested when England begin their 2026 campaign. The next storyline is whether a team built for a new tournament can give the three lions and 10 roses another defining chapter.