Kane wears exclusive Golden Boot patch as he equals Beckham's England cap record against Croatia

Harry Kane will line up against Croatia in Arlington, Texas wearing a subtly different shirt to his England team-mates, after FIFA authorised a special Golden Boot patch for the Bayern Munich striker to wear throughout the 2026 World Cup tournament.

Kane earned the distinction by finishing as the leading scorer at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Only three active players have been granted permission to wear the patch: Kane, France’s Kylian Mbappé — who claimed the Golden Boot in 2022 — and Colombia’s James Rodríguez, who won the award at the 2014 tournament in Brazil.

The patch programme is part of a new collaboration between FIFA and Fanatics, the parent company of trading-card brand Topps. FIFA president Gianni Infantino announced the partnership in May. Once a match concludes, the patches are removed from the match-worn shirts and inserted into exclusive Topps trading cards as physical memorabilia, effectively ending football’s long-running commercial relationship with Panini — though the broader Fanatics deal does not officially begin until 2031.

The initiative extends beyond former Golden Boot winners. Any player making their World Cup debut at this tournament will also wear a dedicated debut patch to mark the occasion.

Beyond the shirt detail, the Group L opener carries additional personal significance for Kane. Winning his 115th cap against Croatia will see him draw level with David Beckham’s England appearance record, placing him joint-second in the all-time list for the Three Lions.