Shirt Number XI — Daily Football Squad Number Game
How Shirt Number XI works
Shirt Number XI is a daily puzzle: fill a starting lineup wearing shirts 1 to 11, with a different country required for every number. Squad numbers are the one thing every football fan absorbs without trying — the 10, the 9, the goalkeeper's 1 — and this is the only daily game that makes them the board rather than a hint.
All 766 players in our database carry a squad number, across 69 nationalities. A country is only paired with a number when at least 2 players in the database wear that number for it, so every slot on the board has more than one right answer.
That leaves a different amount of room per shirt: #9 can be paired with 19 countries, while #2 — the tightest number in the database — has only 5.
| Shirt | Countries it can be paired with |
|---|---|
| #1 | 7 |
| #2 | 5 |
| #3 | 6 |
| #4 | 6 |
| #5 | 10 |
| #6 | 8 |
| #7 | 5 |
| #8 | 10 |
| #9 | 19 |
| #10 | 16 |
| #11 | 8 |
Maintained by the PlayFutbol Data Team · First puzzle published September 2026 · Last audited September 14, 2026.
How to play in 3 steps
- 1
Read the board
Each of the eleven shirt numbers is paired with a country for the day.
- 2
Fill a slot
Tap a shirt and search for a player who wears that number for that country.
- 3
Complete the XI
All eleven scores 100 points, plus a bonus for finishing quickly.
How to fill the board faster
- 1. Start with the tight shirts. #2 is the hardest number in the database — clear it while your options are still open.
- 2. Numbers carry positions. 1 is a goalkeeper, 2 and 3 are full-backs, 9 and 10 are forwards. Picture the position first and the name usually follows.
- 3. Captains and icons wear low numbers. For a country you barely know, the 10 is often the one name you do know.
- 4. High squad numbers do not help here. Only 1 to 11 count, so the modern 22s and 77s are off the board entirely.
- 5. Every slot has at least 2 answers. If nobody comes to mind, you are missing an option, not staring at an impossible cell.
A worked example
Say the board wants a Norwegian #9 and a Belgian #7. The 9 comes quickly — a country with one famous striker usually has him in the shirt you expect. The 7 is the trap: Belgium has plenty of forwards, but only some of them wear 7, and the search will not offer the rest. Fill the number you are sure of, then let the remaining countries narrow what is left — because every nationality on the board is unique, each answer you commit removes a country from every other slot.
About the authors
Shirt Number XI is maintained by the PlayFutbol Data Team. Squad numbers and nationalities are compiled from public sources including Transfermarkt, Wikipedia and official club pages. Before launch, the daily assignment was simulated across 60 consecutive dates to confirm every board is solvable and no slot has a single forced answer.
Spot a wrong squad number? Email data@playfutbol.app
Frequently asked questions
What is Shirt Number XI?
Shirt Number XI is a daily football puzzle. Eleven slots are laid out as a starting lineup wearing shirts 1 to 11, and each number is assigned a nationality for the day. Fill every slot with a player who wears that number and holds that nationality.
How do I play?
Tap a slot on the pitch, then search for a player. The search only offers footballers who actually fit that slot, so anything you can pick is a valid answer.
Why does every number need a different country?
It stops one deep squad from filling the whole board and forces you across leagues and eras. All eleven nationalities in a day are distinct, so a player can only ever fit one slot.
Are the shirt numbers always 1 to 11?
Yes. That is the game — 1 to 11 is a starting XI, and the numbers stay put. The nationality assigned to each number is what changes daily.
Is every slot always solvable?
Yes. A nationality is only assigned to a number when at least 2 players in the database wear that number for that country, so no slot ever has a single forced answer. The daily assignment was simulated over 60 consecutive dates before launch and solved every one.
How is it scored?
A full XI is 100 points, plus a speed bonus for finishing quickly. An incomplete board scores in proportion to how many slots you filled.
What if I get stuck?
You can clear any slot and try again, or give up to end the round and see how many you managed. There is no penalty for a wrong guess — an invalid player simply is not offered.
How is this different from Futbol 11?
Futbol 11 assigns countries to formation positions — a goalkeeper, four defenders and so on. Shirt Number XI assigns them to squad numbers instead, so the second axis is what a player wears rather than where they play.
Does everyone get the same board?
Yes. A seeded generator gives every player worldwide the same eleven number-and-country pairings for a given date.
Is there an archive?
Yes. Past boards are replayable from the archive, and archive rounds do not affect your daily streak.
Where do the squad numbers come from?
Every one of the 766 players in our database carries a squad number, compiled from public sources including Transfermarkt, Wikipedia and official club pages.
Is Shirt Number XI free?
Yes. No signup, no paywall, and no ads inside the game itself.
Related daily football games
- Futbol 11 — the same eleven-country rule, applied to formation positions instead of shirt numbers.
- Missing XI — ten starters from a classic final are shown; name the eleventh.
- Guess the Nationality — pick the right flag for six footballers.
Shirt Number XI is maintained by the PlayFutbol Data Team · 766-player database · 11 shirts · Last audited September 14, 2026 · Report corrections at support@playfutbol.app.