Hamza Abdel Karim may have a new badge on his Barcelona shirt
UEFA has decided to use the “Debut” badge, which means debut, for the first time on the shirts of players who will take part in the next edition of the Champions League.
UEFA explained in an official statement that players who play their first matches in Europe’s most important club competition, starting this season, will be awarded a new logo for their first appearance in the Champions League.
The debut logo is a new initiative launched by UEFA to honor and celebrate players who will play their first matches in the Champions League.
application mechanism
UEFA confirmed that this logo will only be active when players play their first matches on the pitch, including when they come on as a substitute, as the logo will be integrated into the Star Ball logo for the Champions League worn on the player’s shirt sleeve.
After the player’s first appearance, this distinctive blue piece is removed from the shirt he wore in his first match, then examined and documented, tightly packed and accompanied by a certificate of authenticity before being handed over to the company responsible for this development.
A historical souvenir
The company then incorporates the patch into a unique trading card displayed in Champions League merchandise and signed by the player, turning his first appearance at the tournament into a special football souvenir.
With this patch removed after a match, the original badge retains a visual reference to the player’s first appearance, allowing the shirt itself to remain its own piece of memorabilia.
UEFA concluded with the statement: “Once a player has made his Champions League debut, he shall no longer wear this patch, even if he later moves to another club participating in European club competitions.”
Repeating the World Cup experience
These developments are similar to what was done in the last edition of the World Cup, where all players participating in the World Cup for the first time wore a shirt with a “debut” badge on the shoulder of the shirt.
Hamza Abdel Karim, striker of FC Barcelona, will wear this badge shirt if he participates in any of the matches of the next edition of the Champions League, as he has not participated in this tournament before.
It is worth noting that Hamza Abdel Karim, while participating in the Egyptian national team, in the first round of the group stage of the 2026 World Cup against Belgium, wore a shirt with a “debut” badge.