The 2026 World Cup has barely begun, and the first controversies are already emerging. FIFA has informed the Egyptian national team of the need to change their kit for not complying with tournament regulations, requiring the removal of stars from the emblem and a change in the color of the numbers on the jerseys. The main issue revolves around the seven stars that the Egyptian team proudly displays on their chest. Each star represents a title from the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), the continent’s most important competition, won by the Pharaohs in 1957, 1959, 1986, 1998, 2006, 2008, and 2010, making them the team with the most victories in the tournament. However, FIFA was clear in informing the Egyptian Football Association that only teams that have won the World Cup can display stars on their jerseys during the competition, which is not the case for Egypt. “FIFA informed us that stars from continental tournaments are not allowed on World Cup jerseys.” In addition to the star issue, the governing body of world football also imposed a change in the color of the jersey numbers. Egypt’s kit traditionally features gold numbers, but FIFA required them to be changed to white to ensure better visibility and color distinction during matches. According to the African federation, this second requirement was not a surprise, as they were already aware of the need for this modification before the tournament began: “FIFA also requested the modification of the color of the jersey numbers to be white instead of gold, in order to improve visibility. This is not a surprise, and we were already aware of this before the tournament.” This is the second such situation in this World Cup, after FIFA also required Haiti to change their kit.
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