Ever wonder how World Cup players get their numbers? There are actually rules and parameters regarding how each of the 26 players on the 48 teams at this summer’s soccer extravaganza get assigned the numbers on their jerseys.
Matt Turner, one of the USA’s goalkeepers, with the No. 1 jersey. (Photo by Adam Hunger/Getty Images)
FIFA requires World Cup squads to be numbered from 1 to 26, with the No. 1 shirt exclusively belonging to a goalkeeper on the roster. That number is usually given to the first-choice keeper, while the other goalkeepers can wear any available number from Nos. 2 to 26.
Interestingly enough, the expected starting goalkeeper for the U.S. men’s national team, Matt Freese, was given No. 24. His backup, Matt Turner (who was the USA’s starter in 2022), was given the No. 1 by USA manager Mauricio Pochettino. USA captain Tim Ream, who plays at the defender position, will wear No. 13.
Tim Ream will captain the USA team this summer. (Photo by Adam Hunger/Getty Images)
Kit numbers also carry meaning because of soccer tradition. First-choice strikers typically wear the iconic No. 9 shirt, which is why Harry Kane will wear the number for England at his third World Cup. The No. 10 kit is often reserved for a nation’s biggest attacking star or most creative player, or at least the team’s most established player. Lionel Messi (Argentina), Neymar (Brazil) and Luka Modrić (Croatia) will wear the No. 10 this summer.
Cristiano Ronaldo is forever linked to the No. 7. (Photo by Eric Verhoeven/Soccrates/Getty Images)
