Why England are playing without names on their shirts vs Belgium

England will wear special edition shirts on Tuesday against Belgium as they round off their March preparations following a 1-0 defeat to Brazil at Wembley.

It wasn't the start to the international break Gareth Southgate would have wanted, as his England side were brushed aside by Brazil thanks to a first international goal for 17-year-old Endrick.

It wasn't all doom and gloom for the three lions however, as we saw the debuts of Ezri Konsa, Anthony Gordon, and probably most notably, Kobbie Mainoo.

The 18-year-old midfielder found himself named on the bench for the clash at Wembley, despite initially being left out of the squad by Southgate. A decision swiftly corrected following Mainoo's exceptional performance against Liverpool in the FA Cup.

After a considerable wait, he finally made his highly anticipated debut on the international stage with 15 minutes remaining, coming on to replace Chelsea's Conor Gallagher in midfield.

Following their mixed fortunes against the Brazilians, England will conclude their mid-season Euros preparations against Belgium on Tuesday.

In the match, the England stars will be sporting their brand new shirt without player names to raise awareness for dementia symptoms.

This won't be the first time the England squad have supported the cause, as they also sported shirts without names against Switzerland in 2022.

England players in 2022- Getty

The player names will be present in the first half but will disappear when the players return to the pitch for the second half, drawing attention to how people with dementia lose precious memories, even the names of their favourite football players.

Kate Lee, Alzheimer's Society CEO said: “We hope this striking gesture with the players' 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," She added.

The special match is a part of the FA and Alzheimer’s Society’s Support the Supporters campaign, aimed at emphasising the significance of timely dementia diagnosis.