Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
Egypt will take to the field at the 2026 FIFA World Cup wearing a modified version of its iconic national team jersey after FIFA ordered changes to the Pharaohs’ uniform ahead of the tournament.
The decision has sparked debate among Egyptian football fans after world football’s governing body instructed the Egyptian Football Association to remove the seven stars displayed above the national team’s crest and alter the color of the squad’s shirt numbers.
The stars have long been a symbol of Egypt’s dominance in African football. Each star represents one of the country’s record seven Africa Cup of Nations titles, won in 1957, 1959, 1986, 1998, 2006, 2008 and 2010. No other African nation has won the continental championship more times than the Pharaohs.
However, FIFA regulations governing World Cup uniforms permit stars above national team crests only when they represent World Cup triumphs. Because Egypt has never won the tournament, FIFA ruled that the AFCON stars cannot appear on shirts worn during the competition.
The Egyptian Football Association confirmed that it had received official notification from FIFA regarding the issue.
“FIFA informed us that stars representing continental tournaments are not allowed on World Cup shirts,” the federation said.
The removal of the stars is expected to be one of the most visible changes to Egypt’s traditional kit, with many supporters viewing the symbols as an important part of the team’s identity and football heritage.
FIFA has also required Egypt to modify the color of the numbers printed on players’ jerseys. For years, the national team has used gold-colored numbering as part of its design. Tournament officials, however, raised concerns that the numbers may not provide sufficient contrast for television broadcasts and match officials.
As a result, Egypt has been instructed to replace the gold numbering with white numbers to improve visibility during matches.
Unlike the issue surrounding the stars, federation officials said they had already been aware of FIFA’s requirements regarding shirt numbering and had prepared for the change before the start of the tournament.
“FIFA also requested that the shirt numbers be changed to white instead of gold to improve visibility. This is not a surprise and we were already aware of it before the tournament,” the federation said.
The revised jerseys are expected to be ready ahead of Egypt’s opening World Cup match against Belgium on Monday, marking the team’s return to football’s biggest stage under a uniform that will look slightly different from the one supporters have become accustomed to.
Egypt is not the only nation affected by FIFA’s strict uniform regulations. Haiti has also been instructed to alter its World Cup kit after tournament officials objected to a commemorative flag displayed on the right hip of the jersey. According to reports, FIFA considered the design element too political and ordered its removal before the start of the competition.
The decisions underline FIFA’s longstanding policy of maintaining uniform standards at the World Cup, even when the changes involve symbols that hold deep national or historical significance for participating countries.
