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Şêrê Kurda, the lion of the Kurds

Deniz Undav, Şêrê Kurda: his World Cup and our Kurdistan shirt

In June 2026 a striker with Kurdish roots scored at the World Cup, for Germany, and millions of Kurds who have no team of their own at a World Cup felt, for a few weeks, that they were part of it. This is the story of Deniz Undav's tournament, told from the Kurdish community, in his own words and with sources. And it is the story of the two shirts we designed for it: the Deniz Undav Kurdistan Edition, Şêrê Kurda.

By the team of our store Kurdistanfa.com · Updated 28 October 2026

Visualisation of the two Deniz Undav shirts side by side: Kit 1 Kurdistan Edition with the red, white and green chevron, Kit 2 Germany Kurdistan Edition with black, red and gold on the right
Kit 1 and Kit 2, visualised with AI from our designer's print files. Not photos of the finished shirts yet.

What Şêrê Kurda means

Şêrê Kurda is Kurmancî for the lion of the Kurds. Şêr is the lion; Kurda is the spoken short form of Kurdan, the Kurds. In writing, Kurdish media use the full form: when Rudaw reported on FIFA's praise for Undav, the headline called him „Şêrê Kurdan“, and the Kurdish channel ME 24 used the same words in June 2026. On the terraces and in songs you hear the short form, Şêrê Kurda, and that is the form we put on the shirt. The name is not his alone: the Kurdish boxer Agit Kabayel is called Şêrê Kurda too. It is the highest compliment the community gives to one of its own.

His World Cup in four matches

Deniz Undav went to the World Cup 2026 as a striker of VfB Stuttgart, with the number 26 on his back. He came off the bench three times and started once. The facts, from FIFA's match data and the German football federation:

  • 14 June 2026, Houston, Germany 7-1 Curaçao. On in the 64th minute for Musiala. Assist in the 68th, goal in the 78th, assist again in the 88th. According to Opta he was only the second German to give two assists as a substitute in a World Cup match, after Pierre Littbarski in 1990.
  • 20 June 2026, Toronto, Germany 2-1 Côte d'Ivoire. On in the 60th minute, goals in the 68th and the 90+4th. FIFA named him Player of the Match. After two games: 3 goals and 2 assists.
  • 25 June 2026, Ecuador 2-1 Germany. On in the 60th minute. Germany still won Group E with 6 points and a goal difference of 10 for and 4 against.
  • 29 June 2026, Foxborough, Germany 1-1 Paraguay, 3-4 on penalties. His first start of the tournament; off in the 63rd minute. Germany went out in the first knockout round.

In total: 4 matches, 149 minutes according to his club, 3 goals and 2 assists. In FIFA's match data no German scored more at this World Cup; Kai Havertz also finished on 3. The federation's figures list him with 13 caps and 9 goals for Germany.

Why it mattered so much to Kurds

Kurdistan has no team at a World Cup. The Kurds are one of the largest peoples in the world without a state of their own: more than 30 million according to the German Federal Agency for Civic Education, 36 to 45 million according to the Institut kurde de Paris. For all of them, a World Cup is always someone else's party.

Then Undav scored against Curaçao. Rudaw wrote that he became „the first player of Kurdish descent to score at a FIFA World Cup“, and that he celebrated with a govend, the Kurdish circle dance. Kurdistan24 and Kurdistan Chronicle reported the same. We have not found a FIFA record that confirms the first, but that is not the point. In Amed, Hewlêr, Mahabad, Qamişlo and in every Kurdish living room in Europe, people saw one of their own on the biggest stage, and he showed them who he was.

He said it himself at a FIFA press conference in June 2026, when asked what his parents told him: „I always get the news from my parents how they view me, how they see me and it's making me proud, you know, that we finally have somebody“. We finally have somebody. That sentence is why this page exists.

In his own words

We only quote what Deniz Undav has said himself, in German and word for word, with the source. At a press conference of the German team during Euro 2024, a journalist tried to assign him a different background. His answer: „Ich habe erstmal kurdische Wurzeln“, first of all I have Kurdish roots. In a fan Q&A in 2024 he confirmed, for the first time publicly, that he is Yazidi: „Ja, ich bin Jeside“. In the podcast of Agit Kabayel, the same year, he said that his family is Kurdish, and that for his father two things mattered: school and football.

On why he plays for Germany, he told ran.de in 2024: „Für mich geht es nur um Fußball, das hat nichts mit Politik zu tun“, for him it is only about football, it has nothing to do with politics. And: „Ich wollte einfach für Deutschland spielen, ich fühle mich hier wohl, ich bin hier aufgewachsen“, he simply wanted to play for Germany, he feels at home there, he grew up there. Kurdish and German at the same time, without apology. That is exactly what Kit 2 is about.

Where his family comes from

After the World Cup, Rudaw visited the villages of his parents: Berzan near Hesekê in Rojava, where his mother is from, and Zewra in Bakur, the village of his father. Kurdistan24 places Zewra near Wêranşar in the region of Riha. His grandfather emigrated to Germany, and Deniz was born there. Two of the four parts of Kurdistan, Bakur and Rojava, meet in one player. That is why the sun of Kurdistan, with its 21 rays, sits on the chest of both shirts.

Two shirts for Şêrê Kurda

We designed two shirts for this World Cup. Both are white, with the number 26 on the chest, the words Deniz Undav Şêrê Kurda in script on the front, and UNDAV 26 on the back. Our own design, a fan edition from Kurdistanfa.com: not a product of Deniz Undav, the German federation or FIFA.

Visualisation of the Deniz Undav Kurdistan Edition, Kit 1, front: white shirt with a red, white and green chevron, the sun and the Kurdistan crest

Kit 1: Kurdistan Edition

A chevron in red, white and green across the chest, the sun of Kurdistan on the left, the Kurdistan crest on the right.

Visualisation of the Deniz Undav Germany Kurdistan Edition, Kit 2, front: white shirt with red, white and green on the left and black, red and gold on the right

Kit 2: Germany / Kurdistan Edition

Red, white and green with the sun on the left; black, red and gold on the right. Two identities, one chest.

Print design of the back of the Deniz Undav shirts: UNDAV 26 in black on white

The back

UNDAV 26, the same on both kits. From the print file.

Chest of the Deniz Undav Kurdistan Edition print design: the sun with 21 rays, the chevron, the Kurdistan crest and the number 26

The chest

The sun with its 21 rays, the chevron and the Kurdistan crest, exactly as they go to print.

The front views are visualisations made with AI from our designer's print files, not photos of the finished shirts. The back and the chest are the print design itself.

The launch, the sizes and the details are on our store:

Read the launch story at Kurdistanfa.com

Read more

All Kurdistan shirts at Kurdistanfa.com

Sources

  • FIFA, match reports and match timelines Germany vs Curaçao (14 June 2026) and Germany vs Côte d'Ivoire (20 June 2026): fifa.com
  • FIFA, Deniz Undav, Germany's super sub with a killer instinct (23 June 2026): fifa.com
  • DFB, Aus nach Elfmeterschießen (30 June 2026): dfb.de; DFB Datencenter, player profile: datencenter.dfb.de
  • VfB Stuttgart, WM-Sechzehntelfinale (30 June 2026): vfb.de
  • Opta Analyst, Germany 7-1 Curaçao (14 June 2026): theanalyst.com
  • Associated Press via FOX Sports, Deniz Undav's World Cup success lifts Yazidi and Kurdish pride (26 June 2026): foxsports.com
  • DFB press conference at Euro 2024 (YouTube, 21 June 2024): youtube.com; fan Q&A with Deniz Undav (YouTube, 12 April 2024): youtube.com; Klartext mit Deniz Undav, podcast of Agit Kabayel (YouTube, 4 August 2024): youtube.com
  • ran.de, interview with Deniz Undav (October 2024): ran.joyn.de
  • Rudaw English, first player of Kurdish descent to score at a World Cup (15 June 2026): rudaw.net; Rudaw Kurmancî on FIFA's praise, „Şêrê Kurdan“ (24 June 2026): rudaw.net; Rudaw Soranî, the villages of his parents (27 June 2026): rudaw.net
  • Kurdistan24 English (15 June 2026): kurdistan24.net; Kurdistan24 Kurmancî, the village of Zewra (27 June 2026): kurdistan24.net; Kurdistan Chronicle (15 June 2026): kurdistanchronicle.com
  • Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung, Kurdenkonflikt (22 October 2024): bpb.de; Institut kurde de Paris, The Kurdish population (12 January 2017): institutkurde.org