Why does the English football team have three lions on their badge?
You’re probably wondering about the three lions on the badge of the English national football team. You’ve seen it before—it’s a shield divided into four quadrants, with a lion in each.
In 1066, William the Conqueror of Normandy invaded England. This was when England’s flag first had its current colors and design. The reason that there are three lions on it is that they represent England, Scotland, and Wales.
But why are they there in the first place?
The best guess is that King Edward I (Edward Longshanks) adopted them for his army’s battle standard (the flag used to identify a military unit) because he thought it would be good propaganda in his war against Scotland.
Why England’s football badge has three lions has been revealed?
As diehard England fans across the country gear up to cheer on their national team at the World Cup, many spectators will look down at the Three Lions crest and wonder: why are there three lions on our badge?
The answer is medieval and has something to do with William the Conqueror. The famous emblem actually harkens back to a royal coat of arms adopted by King Richard I in 1198. It consists of three quadrants.
For England supporters, it looks like this:
- 1st quarter: A red lion rampant on a gold background
- 2nd quarter: A golden lion rampant on red background
- 3rd quarter: A golden lion rampant on black background
- 4th quarter: Three golden lions passant (walking) and guardant (facing forward) on red background
Because Royalty:
The lions, just like the cross behind them, are a symbol of royalty. The tradition of incorporating symbols of royalty into the national emblem can be traced back to Richard I (otherwise known as Richard the Lionheart) who became king in 1189.
As a point of interest and historical context, it might be worth noting that Richard, who was one of King Henry II’s four sons all vying for the throne, took on his lion moniker because he had a golden lion emblazoned on his shield and coat of arms during his many crusades.
Nowadays you’ll find that there are three lions on the badge which represent England itself and that each has crowns above their heads to show their link with royalty.
Why do we have 3 lions on the England badge?

The badge has gone through many phases over the years. In 1886, for example, it became simply two lions rampant, which is a fancy way of saying that one of them has its tail in its mouth and the other two are facing each other.
What are the names of the 3 lions on the England badge?
- Lion 1: Mayne
- Lion 2: Aquitane
- Lion 3: Rollo
How many lions are on the England badge?
The three lions represent the three countries that make up the family of Great Britain: England, Scotland, and Wales. The red background is for St. George, the patron saint of England.
What do the 3 lions on the England badge stand for?
The Three Lions symbol represents the country’s football association. It contains three lions in a shield, which is actually an amalgamation of the three lions in King Richard I’s coat of arms.
The English Football Association first used the badge in 1938, when England hosted its first World Cup. Since then, it has been used on various merchandise and advertising by the Football Association and was added to the team’s official kit in 1953.
Why are there 10 roses on the England badge?
The badge of the England women’s football team is also a silhouette of the three lions. You may be wondering why there are ten roses along the bottom edge of this badge.
Simply put, these ten roses are part of the national emblem of England. The full emblem includes an additional rose in each corner and a crown on top.
The crown is added to represent that England is part of a monarchy, and has had one for thousands of years. One rose symbolizes each country within Britain (England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland).
What does the star mean above the England badge?

Do you know, how much is the FIFA World Cup trophy worth that England won that year? Or is the FIFA World Cup Trophy solid gold or a fake gold replica?
What animal is on the England badge?
It’s been suggested that the three lions were a family of leopards, with the father being England (Anglia), his son being Scotland and his grandson being Wales. This is evidenced by the fact that each lion has four legs protruding from its body, rather than two.
What are the numbers underneath the England cricket badge?
The three lions on the England badge are associated with the national team of England. The first reason why these 3 lions were chosen is that they appeared on the English crest in 1244 when Richard I was King of England.
The second reason is that it is a popular emblem also used by other countries such as Germany, Denmark, and Sweden.
What does the England football badge mean?
The scene you describe is actually a coat of arms, not a heraldic badge (which would look more like a shield), and was created by the College of Arms in 1958. The most notable thing about it is that it’s the crest on top of England’s football shirt, but there are other interesting details too. Let’s talk about some of them:
- The three lions symbolize England, the lion rampant symbolizes Scotland, and the harp symbolizes Ireland.
- Ten roses on the badge, represent the ten founding members of CONCACAF (FIFA).
- A star above the badge. This represents how much better Germany they were at football during World War II.
- The three lions represent the three countries that make up the United Kingdom: England, Scotland, and Wales
What is the star above the England badge?
The badge, a combination of the three lions of England and the Scottish lion rampant, was introduced in 1872 but has been used ever since. It is not a coat of arms and has no heraldic authority.
The badge was originally designed by Major William Gregg, who was one of the founders of The Football Association (FA) in 1863. He also designed the first FA rules and regulations book in 1863.
Gregg was an amateur heraldist and spent many hours researching English history to create a design that symbolized the ‘unity’ between England and Scotland as part of Great Britain.
The gold star indicates England’s FIFA World Cup-winning in 1966 when the English won the first world cup.
Why do English shirts have 3 lions?
You’ve probably seen the three lions on England shirts for years, but you may not know why. The three lions symbol, more formally known as the Royal Arms of England, has been used on English shirts for more than 100 years.
It is widely believed that the symbol represents the three sons of King Richard I, commonly known as Richard the Lionheart. The first time he used it was in 1198 and there are numerous instances of it being referenced afterward.
Are the three lions actually leopards?
The three lions on the England badge don’t appear to be leopards. They are clearly intended to represent lions and feature all of the same colors (yellow body, black mane with red tongue) as the lion featured in Richard I’s coat of arms.
Three Lions History: Meaning & Origins Behind the Nickname
f you’ve ever wondered about the meaning behind the Three Lions on a shirt, you’re definitely not alone. It’s said that the Three Lions are one of the best-known symbols of English football and fans will even get tattoos of it to show their support for England. If you’re wondering why there are 3 lions on an England badge, we’ll answer your question!
The three lions have been used as a symbol for England for centuries dating back to 1154 when English King Richard I (Richard the Lionheart) adopted them in his coat of arms. The three lions were combined with a shield in 1250 and together they became known as the “Royal Arms of England.”