Why England stars Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice, John Stones and Co will be wearing nameless shirts for just the second half of their friendly with Belgium at Wembley

England players will take to the field in the second half of their friendly against Belgium on Tuesday night without names on the back of their shirts. 

The Three Lions are hoping to give the home support something to cheer when they face Domenico Tedesco’s side, following their 1-0 defeat to Brazil on Saturday. 

It will be the last chance Gareth Southgate has to lead his team ahead of announcing his final 23-man squad for the European Championships in Germany this summer. 

The removal of player names on the back of shirts will be done in support of Alzheimer’s Society to raise awareness of dementia symptoms.

England players will wear nameless shirts in the second half of their friendly against Belgium on Tuesday

The Lionesses donned nameless shirts for clash against Australia last year to highlight dementia

Kate Lee, the charity’s chief executive told PA: ‘We hope this striking gesture with the player’s shirts will once again get fans across the country talking, and thinking about the signs and symptoms of dementia. 

‘By using football to shine a spotlight and increase awareness of dementia symptoms, we hope to not only encourage fans to donate towards our early diagnosis research, but also to support their loved ones just as much as they support their football team.

‘This means taking crucial first steps in seeking a diagnosis if they suspect someone they care about may be affected. A diagnosis can be daunting but it’s better to know.’

It is not the first time the FA has sanctioned the campaign. Last April, a third of the players on the pitch between England’s Lionesses and Australia had nameless shirts on in an effort to represent the ratio of people born in the United Kingdom who will suffer from the disease.

At half-time, players swapped to reflect the confusion and memory loss synonymous with those who suffer from dementia.

The England men’s team supported the same initiative in a game against Switzerland in 2022

The nameless shirts were auctioned off following the game to raise further funds for research.

England men’s team had earlier gone nameless on their shirts for the second half of a friendly against Switzerland at Wembley in 2022. 

The match was officially renamed the ‘Alzheimer’s Society International’ following a partnership between the FA and the charity in order to highlight how dementia sufferers lose vital memories, including struggling to remember names.