Three lions have been used as England's football emblem since the formation of the Football Association in 1863.
England wore the badge in their first official international match against Scotland in 1872 - but the symbol has much deeper roots stretching back to the 12th century.
The animal has been associated with the Royal Family since Henry I (1100-1135) included a single lion in his coat of arms. He added another after his marriage.
His grandson, Henry II (1154-1189) added a third lion to his crest, also after getting married.
But it was only after the reign of Henry II's son Richard I (1189-1199) that the three lions were popularised and adopted as the royal arms by every monarch.
England's emblem was further cemented into popular culture by the 1996 song 'Three Lions' by comedians David Baddiel and Frank Skinner and The Lightning Seeds.
How does England's emblem differ to the royal one?
The coat of arms for the England National team has three blue lions, but it also includes 10 Tudor roses. The reason for the specific amount of roses is unknown.
Originally, the crest featured a crown, but this was removed to distinguish it from the England cricket team emblem.
The football badge also includes a star above the emblem, representing England winning the 1966 World Cup.
vacbdkrst
1
because it got the best league in the world
dokabemrtu
1
The Three Lion The Tropyless 🥱🤣
EAG1996
1
Because they badge has 3 lion 🤷🏼♂️
VileTreasure
1
The 10 roses are simply a stylistic choice to balance the design around the lions, not a coded symbol or historical reference
Napdlorsz
3
no one really cares because they never had lions they will only lift the WC when they change to another name
zawille
0
Go Zambia Go so only a star ⭐ is associated with football and the remaining features are parallel to the History of football 🤔
Gannymalta
1
History and it's honours.... At least no one looks at it with intentions to alter this time around. All fans do now is to enjoy the game.