Euro 2024: Why do Ukraine players wear flags around their shoulders during the national anthem?

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The Ukraine squad have worn the national flag when coming out for their international games for a couple of years now

Players of Ukraine line up during national anthem ceremony ahead of the 2024 European Football Championship (EURO 2024) Group E football match between Romania and Ukraine at Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany on June 17, 2024.
(Image credit: Mahmut Serdar Alakus/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Ukraine players have continued to wear their national flag around their shoulders when lining up for the national anthem before their games at Euro 2024.

As you might expect, that new tradition began following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022 and remains sadly ongoing to this day.

Everton’s players wore the Ukrainian flag as they emerged from the tunnel days after conflict broke out, doing so as a display of support and solidarity for their teammate Vitaliy Mykolenko – but the  Ukraine national team took a bit longer to adopt the same show of patriotism and defiance. 

From EU flag to Ukrainian flag: When Ukraine started wearing flags during the national anthem

A Ukrainian flag mixed with the flag of the European Union stands among flags for sale at a vendor's stall on September 14, 2014 in Lviv, Ukraine. The European Union announced today that it will delay implemenation of the EU association agreement, which would promote free trade between the EU and Ukraine, until the end of 2015 in a move meant to address concerns by Russia.

Ukraine have draped EU flags over their shoulders on occasion (Image credit: Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

Ukraine played a friendly against German side Borussia Monchengladbach in May 2022 as a charity fundraiser, but did not wear any flags around their shoulders during the national anthem on that occasion.

However, they followed that up with two more fundraisers against Italian side Empoli and Croatian side Rijeka, and for those games Ukraine players came out wearing the flag of the European Union – 12 gold stars arranged in a circle on a blue background. However, former Croatia star Dario Srna stood nearby wearing the Ukraine flag before the Rijeka match.

Ukraine’s next game came against Scotland at Hampden Park on 1st June 2022 in a World Cup qualification play-off, and that appears to be the first occasion that all their players wore the Ukrainian flag around their shoulders for the national anthem.

Since then it has been a regular sight when the Ukraine side comes out to line up for the national anthem: the players all wore flags throughout the 2022 World Cup and have now continued the tradition into Euro 2024, as we saw when they arrived onto the pitch for their opening Group E game against Romania.

Ukraine have been forced to play their nominal home games away from their homeland since war broke out, instead playing in Poland, Germany, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

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Steven Chicken
Steven Chicken

Steven Chicken has been working as a football writer since 2009, taking in stints with Football365 and the Huddersfield Examiner. Steven still covers Huddersfield Town home and away for his own publication, WeAreTerriers.com. Steven is a two-time nominee for Regional Journalist of the Year at the prestigious British Sports Journalism Awards, making the shortlist in 2020 and 2023.