<P> An early illustration of the first international football match between Scotland and England in 1872 shows the Scottish players wearing cowls, and the English wearing a variety of school caps . The practice was first approved on 10 May 1886 for association football after a proposal made by N. Lane Jackson, founder of the Corinthians: </P> <P> That all players taking part for England in future international matches be presented with a white silk cap with red rose embroidered on the front . These to be termed International Caps . </P> <P> The act of awarding a cap is now international and is applied to other sports . Although in some sports physical caps may not now always be given (whether at all or for each appearance) the term "cap" for an international or other appearance has been retained as an indicator of the number of occasions on which a sportsperson has represented a team in a particular sport . Thus, a "cap" is awarded for each game played and so a player who has played x games, for the team, is said to have been capped x times or have won x caps . </P> <P> The practice of awarding a physical cap varies from sport to sport . It may be awarded prior to a player's debut or, particularly for national teams, a commemorative cap may be awarded after a player reaches the 100th cap . </P>

What does cap stand for in world cup