A large number of players at the 2026 World Cup in North and Central America are wearing the jerseys of national teams from countries other than where they were born. As global immigration rises, dual citizenship expands, and the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) eases its rules, the composition of national teams is changing.
According to Argentine sports outlet TyC Sports on Friday, 289 of the 1,248 players participating in this tournament took the World Cup stage with national teams from countries other than where they were born. This represents about 23% of all players, or roughly one in four.
This figure is more than double the 11.1% share of foreign-born players at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. As cross-border movement becomes more active and multicultural families increase, cases where birthplace and represented country do not match are rising rapidly, observers say.
The most eye-catching team is Curaçao, making its tournament debut. Of the 26 players called up to the Curaçao national team, 25 were born abroad, with only one player born in the country. In effect, the team is built around players from the overseas diaspora.
African powerhouse Morocco is also cited as a representative case. Morocco included a large number of Europe-born and Canada-born players on its squad list for group stage matches. Captain Achraf Hakimi was also born in Madrid, Spain, but represents Morocco, his parents' homeland.
Korea No Exception: Germany-Born Kastrop Dons Taegeuk Mark
Korea is no exception. Recently, Germany-born midfielder Jens Castrop, born to a Korean mother and a German father, has put on the taegeuk mark, signaling a change in the national team's composition. Though his birthplace is Germany, he chose the Korean national team based on his parents' nationality and roots.
The country that supplies the most foreign-born players is France. Currently, 99 France-born players are counted as playing across 13 national teams. Many chose countries with deep historical and cultural ties to France in the past, such as Morocco, Algeria, Haiti, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
In the case of the Haiti national team, the number of France-born players is reportedly as high as 12. Some players reportedly have never even visited Haiti. Family roots and nationality, rather than birthplace, are having a greater influence on national team choices.
Such changes are not unrelated to revisions in FIFA rules. Currently, players can gain national team eligibility not only through their own dual citizenship but also through the nationality of their parents or grandparents. In addition, when FIFA partially eased its national team change rules in 2021, players' range of choices widened further.
Indeed, Declan Rice, who played for Ireland's age-group teams before becoming an England national team player, is cited as a representative case of this institutional change. National football associations are also actively working to discover players of their own descent living abroad.
Argentina operates a dedicated project to secure Argentine-descent prospects developing in Europe, and its national team includes Italy-born Giuliano Simeone and Spain-born Nico Paz.
