RUGBY, England—Stuart Field raised his first flags in July: the English red cross of St. George and also a smattering of the British red, white and blue, hanging them from his hometown’s streetlights.

In the United States, the Stars and Stripes are everywhere: on porches, lawns and pickup trucks. The national flag is part of the scenery, almost invisible in its ubiquity. In England, flags are rarer ...

The national flag of England, a white banner with a bold red cross, has been displayed by soccer fans during the World Cup. But it has caused tension over whom, and what, it is meant to represent. St.