ENGLAND stars will be forced to wear patches at this summer’s World Cup.
Those featuring at their first summer showpiece will have debut patches stitched into their shirts.
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Elliot Anderson will have a debut patch on his England kit Credit: Getty
Anthony Gordon is also set to wear the new accessory Credit: Getty
The patches will look similar to those worn by Chelsea commemorating their Club World Cup win.
England are set to have several World Cup debutants this summer.
The likes of Elliot Anderson, Anthony Gordon and Cole Palmer could all feature in the finals for the first time.
Plenty of superstars from other nations will also wear the new accessory.
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Lamine Yamal, Michael Olise, Erling Haaland and Rayan Cherki are all set to make their debuts on the world’s biggest stage.
Meanwhile, the entire Scotland team will have to wear the patches as they appear in their first World Cup since 1998.
Cape Verde, Curacao, Jordan and Uzbekistan are all making their World Cup debuts in the newly-expanded tournament.
Haiti, meanwhile, return to the finals after 52 years away – with Iraq back for the first time since 1986.
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The patches will be similar to those that Chelsea wear for winning the Club World Cup Credit: AFP
The patches will become part of future trading card sets when Fanatics take over from Panini as an official tournament partner after the 2030 tournament.
Many fans have been left unimpressed by the innovation.
One posted: “Completely bizarre. Modern football at its worst.”
A second pointed out: “Crazy some nations will have it on all the players”.
And a third claimed: “so dumb, gimmicky, and takes away from the clean look of the kit”.
Another added: “Next they’ll call them rookies for the full US integration”.
