FIFA World Cup 2026: Egypt will not display the seven stars representing their Africa Cup of Nations titles on their jerseys during the FIFA World Cup 2026, according to the Egyptian Football Association, reported ESPN.
The team traditionally wears seven stars above the national crest to mark their record seven continental titles. However, FIFA rules for the World Cup allow stars only for victories in that tournament.
FIFA sent a reminder to the Egyptian side. Association media officer Mohamed Morad Thabet said the issue was settled months earlier.
“It was a routine procedure: four months ago, FIFA notified the Football Association regarding the issue of not displaying the Africa Cup of Nations stars on the national team’s jersey during World Cup matches,” he said.
“This was a notification; it was merely a routine step. The national team had already anticipated this and made the necessary preparations well in advance,” he added.
While associations usually decide on stars for their kits, FIFA applies stricter rules at the World Cup. Stars may only mark World Cup wins.
Uruguay is the sole exception, permitted to wear four stars, two for World Cup titles in 1930 and 1950 and two for Olympic golds in 1924 and 1928 when FIFA organized the event.
Egypt also changed the color of jersey numbers after another FIFA request.
“FIFA requested a change in the jerseys’ numbers from gold to white,” the officer said.
“Puma, the company responsible for the jerseys’ color scheme, made the switch to white to ensure the numbers were more clearly visible,” he added.
Egypt are appearing at the World Cup for the first time since 2018, when they left after losing all three group matches in Russia. Earlier appearances were in 1934 and 1990, and they still seek their first tournament victory.
