Mostafa Shobeir, the goalkeeper of the Egyptian national team, wore jersey number "1" during Egypt's latest match against Angola, which took place as part of the qualifiers for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.
The match between Egypt and Angola, held in the first round of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers at Cairo International Stadium, ended in a goalless draw.
Why did Shobeir wear jersey number "1"?
The Egyptian national team sent a clarification to journalists explaining why Mostafa Shobeir wore jersey number "1" during the current camp, which included the match against Angola as well as upcoming fixtures against South Sudan and South Africa.
The Egyptian national team clarified that player jerseys are assigned based on seniority within the camp. Accordingly, Mostafa Shobeir received jersey number "1" due to the absence of Mohamed El Shenawy and Ahmed El Shenawy.
The clarification included several points, outlined as follows:
- When Ahmed El Shenawy is present, he receives jersey number "1", while Mohamed El Shenawy wears number "16".
- If Ahmed El Shenawy is absent, Mohamed El Shenawy takes jersey number "1", with other goalkeepers assigned different numbers accordingly.
- In the current Egyptian national team camp, Mostafa Shobeir was assigned jersey number "1" and Al-Mahdi Soliman received number "16" by mutual agreement.
