Army is going green for Navy. The Black Knights' uniform for the 127th Army-Navy Game is the Ivy Soldier, a Nike build that honors the 4th Infantry Division, the "Ivy Division," and its motto, Steadfast and Loyal. Army wears it on Saturday, December 12 at 3 p.m. Eastern on CBS at MetLife Stadium.
The set is ivy green from helmet to cleats: a green helmet with a lime facemask and a white IV on the front, an olive camouflage jersey and matching pants, and ivy leaves worked into almost every surface. Army posted the full breakdown on Sunday, November 8, a day after naming the 4th Infantry Division its "Division of the Game" for the Air Force game at Michie Stadium, a 24-21 loss.
Our grade: B. The details are some of the best Army has ever done. The color is the problem.
The Ivy Soldier uniform details, via @ArmyWP_Football
Quick Answers
- What is Army wearing for Army-Navy 2026? The Ivy Soldier uniform, honoring the 4th Infantry Division.
- What color is it? Ivy green. A green helmet with a lime green facemask, an olive camouflage jersey and pants, dark green socks and green cleats.
- Why the 4th Infantry Division? The uniform honors the division's 100-plus years of service, and specifically its forward role in Operation Atlantic Resolve in Europe from 2014 to 2019. It also marks the 25th anniversary of September 11.
- Why ivy? The 4th Infantry Division was constituted in 1917 with the Roman numeral IV, and "ivy" is a play on IV. Its shoulder patch is four ivy leaves.
- When is the game? Saturday, December 12, 3 p.m. Eastern, CBS, MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
- Has Navy revealed its uniform? Not as of Wednesday, November 11. Navy's reveal came on November 18 last year.
What The Ivy Soldier Uniform Looks Like
Here is every piece, from Army's uniform site and its posts.
The helmet. A green shell with a white IV on the front, flanked by ivy leaves. STEADFAST and LOYAL sit on the front of the shell on either side, the 4th Infantry Division's patch sits on the nose bumper, and the facemask is a bright lime green. Army says the helmet also carries a September 11 decal for the 25th anniversary of the attacks.
The Steadfast and Loyal helmet, via @ArmyWP_Football
The jersey and pants. An olive green base with a camouflage print in greens, tans and browns, worn with matching olive pants. Army says the color "reflects the foliage of a dense, ivy-covered forest" and the terrain of Central and Eastern Europe. The numbers are white, and the lettering is drawn from memorial stonework like the Utah Beach monument, which the 4th Infantry Division stormed on D-Day. IVY SOLDIER runs across the shoulder.
The shield. Army's Athena shield is wrapped in ivy for this game, which Army calls the Ivy Athena Shield. It is the one-off logo of the set, and it is also Army Football's avatar on X right now.
The cleats. Ivy vines run across the cleats and break the edges of the Nike Swoosh.
A closer look at the IV, the ivy and the shield, via @ArmyWP_Football
Our Grade, Piece By Piece
| Piece | Grade | Why | |---|---|---| | Helmet | A- | The best part. The IV with ivy leaves is clever, Steadfast and Loyal on the shell reads like a WWII helmet marking, and the 9/11 decal is the right call in a 25th anniversary year. The lime facemask is a little loud. | | Jersey | B- | The memorial-style numbers and the IVY SOLDIER shoulder are great. The camo print is busy, and from 50 feet it turns into one olive color. | | Pants | C+ | Matching olive pants make the whole thing one green block. A tan or dark green pant would have broken it up. | | Details | A | Ivy on the shield, the cleats, the helmet and the shoulder. The Roman numeral IV turned into ivy is the best single idea in this year's game. | | Story | A | A real division, a real motto, a specific mission (Atlantic Resolve), and the September 11 anniversary. This is what the Army-Navy uniform is for. | | Ivy Athena Shield (logo) | B+ | Wrapping the shield in ivy is simple and right. It works better as a patch than it will as a TV graphic. | | Overall | B | |
The take. Army's run of Army-Navy uniforms has been about telling a unit's story in the details, and the Ivy Soldier does that better than almost any of them. But a monochrome olive camo uniform under December stadium lights is going to read as a green blob on TV, on a green field, against Navy. The lime facemask and neon accents also pull it toward Oregon or the Seahawks' Action Green, which is the opposite of a uniform built on stone memorials and a 100-year-old patch. Last year's all-white 250th anniversary set had restraint. This one has better ideas and less restraint. If Army had paired the camo jersey with a solid dark green pant and a darker facemask, this is an A-.
The full uniform, via @ArmyWP_Football
Why Army Picked The 4th Infantry Division
Army's uniform site says the set honors the 4th Infantry Division's "ready and forward posture" in Operation Atlantic Resolve from 2014 to 2019, when the division ran the Mission Command Element in Europe and, in 2017, sent the first "heel to toe" Armored Brigade Combat Team to the mission. The division has carried the motto Steadfast and Loyal since World War I, and Army says 25 Ivy Soldiers have earned the Medal of Honor.
The ivy itself comes from the numeral. The division was constituted in 1917 as the 4th, written IV, and the four-leaf ivy patch followed from the wordplay. Army's site also ties the colors to the green of the division's insignia over the years, camouflage, patina and chlorophyll.
How It Fits Army's Recent Army-Navy Uniforms
Every Army-Navy tribute uniform since 2008 is in our Army football uniform and logo history.
Army has honored a different unit almost every December:
- 2020: 25th Infantry Division
- 2021: Special Forces Command
- 2022: 1st Armored Division and the 80th anniversary of Operation Torch
- 2023: 3rd Infantry Division and the opening of Operation Iraqi Freedom
- 2024: 101st Airborne Division, with the Normandy card suit helmet markings
- 2025: The Army's 250th anniversary, an all-white set with a marble print inspired by Arlington National Cemetery
- 2026: 4th Infantry Division, the Ivy Soldier
It is the first green-based Army-Navy uniform in this run. The full Army schedule, including every regular-season jersey, is in our Army 2026 uniform schedule.
What About Navy?
Navy has not revealed its 2026 Army-Navy uniform as of Wednesday, November 11. Last year Navy's reveal came on November 18, so it could land any day. Navy's regular-season sets, including the 1926 centennial uniform it wore against Notre Dame, are in our Navy 2026 uniform schedule and our Navy 1926 centennial uniform grade. We will add Navy's uniform here and grade the matchup when it drops.
The Army-Navy Game also announced on Monday that the 2027 game moves to Saturday, December 4, 2027 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
Frequently Asked Questions
What uniform is Army wearing against Navy in 2026?
The Ivy Soldier uniform, a Nike build honoring the 4th Infantry Division. It is ivy green with an olive camouflage jersey and pants, a green helmet with a white IV and a lime facemask.
What is the Ivy Soldier?
Soldiers of the 4th Infantry Division are called Ivy Soldiers. The nickname comes from the division's Roman numeral, IV, and its four-leaf ivy shoulder patch.
What does Steadfast and Loyal mean on Army's helmet?
It is the 4th Infantry Division's motto, used since World War I. Army put STEADFAST on one side of the front of the helmet and LOYAL on the other.
Is there a 9/11 tribute on Army's uniform?
Yes. Army says the helmet carries a September 11 decal honoring the lives lost at the three attack sites, marking the 25th anniversary.
Why is Army's Army-Navy uniform green this year?
Army says the color reflects a dense, ivy-covered forest and the terrain of Central and Eastern Europe, where the 4th Infantry Division served in Operation Atlantic Resolve, plus the greens of the division's insignia.
Did Army release a new logo?
For this game, yes: the Ivy Athena Shield, Army's Athena shield wrapped in ivy. It is a one-game mark for the Ivy Soldier set, not a replacement for Army's primary logo.
What grade did ColorWay Sports give Army's Army-Navy uniform?
A B overall. The helmet (A-), the details (A) and the story (A) are excellent. The olive camo jersey (B-) and matching pants (C+) make it one green block from a distance.
What operation does the uniform honor?
Operation Atlantic Resolve, the U.S. mission to deter aggression in Europe. The 4th Infantry Division led its Mission Command Element from 2014 to 2019.
When and where is the 2026 Army-Navy Game?
Saturday, December 12, 2026, at 3 p.m. Eastern on CBS, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. It is the 127th game, presented by USAA.
Has Navy revealed its Army-Navy uniform for 2026?
Not yet as of November 11. Navy revealed its 2025 uniform on November 18.
Who makes Army's Army-Navy uniform?
Nike. The Nike Swoosh is on the jersey and the cleats, and Army lists the uniform as a joint Army and Nike project.
Where is the 2027 Army-Navy Game?
Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, on Saturday, December 4, 2027, per the Army-Navy Game's announcement on November 9.
Sources: Army Football's uniform site (IvySoldier.Football) and its posts on X from November 7 to 10, and the Army-Navy Game's announcement on X.
