Kylian Mbappé wears a different outfit from his France teammates at the World Cup because of a little-known FIFA rule.
Kylian Mbappe wore a slightly different jersey from his France teammates during their World Cup opener against Senegal – and here’s why.
France kicked off their 2026 World Cup journey in New Jersey against the 2026 Africa Cup of Nations champions, with coach Didier Deschamps choosing a star-packed team. Paris Saint-Germain stars Ousmane Dembele and Desire Doue played alongside Bayern Munich’s Michael Olise and, of course, Mbappe, who led the attack.
Along with Spain, who drew 0-0 with Cape Verde in their first match on June 15, France entered the tournament as one of the favorites. After facing Senegal, they will take on Iran and Norway. If they finish top of their group, their next opponent will be the third-placed team from Groups C, D, F, G, or H in the round of 32.
Even though France is a favorite, Mbappe has promised to put in more defensive work. Speaking to French newspaper Le Parisien on June 15, he said, “I need to improve my defensive work because it’s important for the team, and I have to do it. This time, it starts now because we want to win. I’m ready to do whatever it takes to win at all costs.”
Despite his extra focus on defense, Mbappe’s attacking skills will continue to shine during the tournament, and his special jersey shows that. He is wearing a slightly different kit because he won the Golden Boot at the 2022 World Cup, scoring eight goals – including a hat-trick in the final, even though France lost to Argentina on penalties.
Mbappe is one of only three players wearing a special Golden Boot patch, along with England’s Harry Kane and Colombia’s James Rodriguez, who won the award in 2018 and 2014, respectively.
Players from previous World Cup-winning countries like Argentina, Uruguay, Germany, Brazil, England, France, and Spain wear gold tournament logos. Other teams have black or white patches depending on their kit colors. You can also see smaller patches under the main patch, with some players showing a debut patch to celebrate their first World Cup.
Meanwhile, legends like Croatia’s Luka Modric, Japan’s Yuto Nagatomo, Germany’s Manuel Neuer, Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, and Argentina’s Lionel Messi wear legacy patches because they’ve played in five or more World Cups. Former Golden Glove winners Neuer, Argentina’s Emiliano Martinez, and Belgium’s Thibaut Courtois also wear special patches to honor their achievements.