Revealed: Why Germany play in white in international matches despite the colour not appearing on their flag
- Germany have scored countless memorable goals in their pristine white strips
- The reason behind the colour - which isn't on the flag - stretches back decades
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Germany play in white kits despite the colour not appearing on their national flag - and the reasoning behind the choice stretches back decades.
Currently hosting Euro 2024 this summer, Julian Nagelsmann's side scored five goals against Scotland in their opening game of the tournament on Friday.
Blessed with attacking firepower and steely resistance at the back, they are expected to go far and may even be one of the favourites to lift the trophy.
Throughout the competition, they will wear striking white home strips, adorned with black, red and gold trim, as well as their pink and purple away jerseys.
But curiously, white does not feature on the country's flag.
![Germany play in white kits despite the colour not appearing on the country's flag](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/06/19/18/86329169-0-image-a-16_1718818602626.jpg)
Germany play in white kits despite the colour not appearing on the country's flag
![The reason behind the colour choice stretches back decades and through the nation's history](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/06/19/18/86329151-0-image-a-17_1718818605807.jpg)
The reason behind the colour choice stretches back decades and through the nation's history
![Ilkay Gundogan scored against Hungary while sporting Germany's eye-catching pink jersey](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/06/19/18/86329199-0-image-a-18_1718818613418.jpg)
Ilkay Gundogan scored against Hungary while sporting Germany's eye-catching pink jersey
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Instead, they wear the colour because the flag of Prussia - the state that once stretched from the border of Russia to the western edge of France - was white.
Prussia formed the German empire in the unification of German states in 1871 and it was decided in 1899 that the country's football team would wear clean white kits.
The Prussian flag initially featured a cross in the middle but this was replaced by a large black eagle, which is still emblazoned on the Germany state flag today.
Despite the state collapsing in 1918 at the end of the First World War, the football team decided to keep white as its main colour - a tradition that has lasted decades.
East Germany, meanwhile, was a member of FIFA between 1951 and 1990 until its reunification with West Germany and wore blue as their home strip.
Their away colour, however, was white.
Germany are not the only nation that wear colours that don't feature on their flag, though. The Netherlands sport orange even though their flag is red, white and blue.