At the 2026 World Cup, nearly one in four players — 23.3% to be exact — weren’t born in the country they represent, with eight of the 48 squads made up of 50% or more foreign-born players. 

No country has more foreign-born players than Curacao, a constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Curacao’s entire 26-man squad is made up of players born in the Netherlands proper.  

DR Congo is the next most foreign-based, with 20 such players. Those 20 were born in a plethora of European countries, including Belgium, England, France and Switzerland. DR Congo was colonized by Belgium in the 19th century. 

Eight squads contain no foreign-born players: Austria, Brazil, Colombia, Czechia, Panama, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and Sweden. 

When it comes to country of birth, 70 different countries are represented at this year’s tournament. Notably, three Italian-born players are on 2026 World Cup rosters, despite the soccer powerhouse failing to qualify.

The most populous birth country at the tournament is France, with 96 players born on French soil. French-born players appear on 12 rosters besides France, including former French colonies Algeria, Ivory Coast, and Senegal. 

At the World Cup, players primarily represent their birth country. However, FIFA eligibility rules allow players to represent countries their parents or grandparents were from. They can also play for the countries they have resided in for at least five years.

These lax rules allow many young players to have multiple options at the international level. For instance, Folarin Balogun, who scored twice for the United States against Paraguay, could've represented Nigeria because he was born to Nigerian parents, or he could've represented England because he grew up there. However, he chose to represent the U.S. — his official birth country.

Meanwhile, star striker Erling Haaland was born in Leeds, United Kingdom and could've represented England. However, he chose to play for Norway — his parents' home country and where he spent most of his childhood. Other notable players include Moroccans Achraf Hakimi and Brahim Diaz — both of whom were born in Spain, but represent Morocco due to familial connections.

Methodology note: Foreign player data pulled from Transfermarkt's list of players on 2026 World Cup rosters.

Source: USA Today