Egypt open World Cup against Belgium without the seven stars

Belgium up first, seven stars gone from the shirt

Your World Cup starts Monday against Belgium in Group G (1) (2). The match kicks off with Egypt stripped of a familiar symbol. FIFA has forced the Egyptian FA to remove the seven stars that sit above the badge on the national team jersey for the entire tournament (3).

Those stars represent seven Africa Cup of Nations titles. No other nation carries that record. FIFA's kit regulations do not permit the stars because they are not world titles (3). You will still see the standard Egypt crest, just without the stars above it.

Fan reactions

The timing hit hard. Fans pointed out the irony of losing the seven stars right as the World Cup begins. In the preview thread on r/soccer, one supporter framed this team as chasing the win that has always escaped them (1). Across the broader match thread for the group-stage openers, the Belgium matchup was the one drawing early attention alongside Spain and Uruguay's games (2). Read the full Egypt preview.