What are the patches on players' shirts at the World Cup and why are they wearing them?

Eberechi Eze of England — Eberechi Eze is one of the 18 England players to be wearing the debut patch (Image credit: Maddie Meyer - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

Eagle-eyed fans will notice that some players have patches on their shirts at World Cup 2026.

These patches are found on the upper right chest area of the player's jersey, highlighting a certain milestone for the person wearing it.

Excitingly, for memorabilia collectors, they offer a chance for fans to claim a piece of World Cup history for themselves.

In total, 18 England players will wear the patches, as well as stars like Lamine Yamal and Erling Haaland

Norway hero Erling Haaland is set to play at his first ever World Cup — Erling Haaland and Lamine Yamal are among the players to have the patches on their shirts (Image credit: Getty Images)

The patches have been brought in as part of a new licensing deal with that has seen Fanatics replace Panini as FIFA's official partner for trading cards and stickers, from 3031.

After a player has made his debut, the patches, which say "Debut" on them beneath a gold World Cup 2026 graphic, will be removed from the players' kits and will then be transformed into a trading card.

ORLANDO, FLORIDA - JUNE 10: Declan Rice #4 of England celebrates scoring his team&amp;apos;s first goal with Anthony Gordon during the International Friendly match between England and Costa Rica — Anthony Gordon is among 18 England World Cup debutants this year (Image credit: Getty Images)

Among the players to be wearing the patches at this year's tournament are Erling Haaland and Lamine Yamal, among a host of stars making the World Cup bows.

In total, 18 England players will play with the collectable on their chest.

They include Dean Henderson, James Trafford, Ezri Konsa, Marc Guehi, Reece James, Tino Livramento, Nico O'Reilly, Jarell Quansah, Djed Spence, Dan Burn, Elliot Anderson, Kobbie Mainoo, Morgan Rogers, Anthony Gordon, Noni Madueke, Eberechi Eze, Ollie Watkins and Ivan Toney.

However, fans keen to get their hands on the special edition trading cards won't be able to right away.

They won't be available until the the licensing agreement kicks in from 2031, which means World Cup 2030 debut patches will also be made available at the same time.

Lamine Yamal of Spain runs with the ball during an international friendly match between Spain and Egypt at RCDE Stadium on March 31, 2026 in Barcelona, Spain. — Lamine Yamal is making his World Cup debut with Spain (Image credit: David Ramos/Getty Images)

The patches will be put on cards and randomly inserted into trading card boxes.

They have featured in American sports before, including Major League Soccer, where trading card hobby boxes retail for $120.

These boxes contain 21 packs of four cards and two of the cards in each of the boxes are unique autographed cards.

Ryan Gray is a freelance writer, covering mainly travel and occasionally sport. He previously spent two years as Sports Editor at the Watford Observer before turning his hand to travel writing, with his work appearing in various national UK publications. He has gone from providing matchday commentary for Blyth Spartans to covering FA Cup and Euros finals, as well as interviewing the likes of Claudio Ranieri, Alan Shearer and Glenn Hoddle, among other big names.