England Players to Go Nameless Against Wales in Special Gesture

England return to action at Wembley against Wales on Thursday evening but will make a significant change to their shirts for the second half.

Thomas Tuchel's side take on Wales in a charity friendly which is being dubbed an ‘Alzheimer’s Society International’ as it will be the fourth fixture in the Football Association's partnership with Alzheimer’s Society.

It was confirmed in June that the game would be part of the link and there will be no child mascots walking out with both sets of players.

Instead, 22 football fans living with dementia will emerge out of the tunnel and onto the Wembley turf with the players for the national anthems.

The fans chosen are a combination of those who user Alzheimer’s Society service, as well as those nominated from football clubs and their foundations and many picked from other dementia services.

One of the common symptoms of dementia is memory loss and both England and Wales players will acknowledge that heartbreaking element of the disease for the second 45 minutes.

Those playing will change their shirts into ones without any names and just the number, in a throwback to the old days of international football.

England first wore names on their shirts back in 1992 in a European Championship clash against Sweden, who claimed a 2-1 victory.

In a 2-2 draw with Belgium in March 2024, England did not wear names in the second half of the friendly as part of the important initiative.

England did not have names on the back of their shirts against Belgium last year. Image: Getty

The step is seen as a way to highlight that those who suffer from dementia are prone to losing key memories and information - including the names of their favourite football players.

Commenting on teaming up once again, FA chief Mark Bullingham said: “Our partnership with Alzheimer's Society continues to raise vital funds and awareness for those impacted by dementia, and the twenty-two people living with a diagnosis who will walk out at Wembley alongside the national teams will ensure this message resonates more than ever.”

After the friendly, England will travel to Riga to play Latvia in a World Cup qualifier.

Thomas Tuchel's men are top of Group K after taking maximum points from five games and are closing in on qualification for the showpiece in North America next summer.