The 48 World Cup participants have nominated 1,248 players for the tournament. Where do they all actually earn their money? An overview.
Uruguay has won the World Cup twice. Well, that was in 1930 and 1950, so it was a long time ago. But with these two titles, the South Americans are still one of the top nations in world football.
In the domestic league of the football-crazy country, talent is springing up from the ground and almost all teams are sending their best to the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada.
At least that’s what you’d think – but it’s far from the truth. Not a single player in coach Marcelo Bielsa’s team plays at home Primera Division. Uruguay’s quota of Legionnaires in the team: 100 percent.
The “Urus” have this in common with Cape Verde, the DR Congo, the Ivory Coast, Curaçao and Senegal. They also don’t have a single player who plays in their own country.
Qatar and Saudi Arabia each have only one legionnaire
The situation is completely different in Qatar and Saudi Arabia. There are 25 players playing in their home country. Only the Qatari left-back Homam Ahmed (Cultural LeonesaSpain) and the Saudi right-back Saud Abdulhamid (LensFrance) are under contract abroad and are therefore something of an exotic member of your team.
200 players employed in England
After the 48 participants have nominated their provisional squads, one thing is certain: 1,248 players are there, more than ever before. And if you look at where they all play, England’s position in world football becomes clear once again. A whopping 200 players earn their money in the motherland of football – and not just there Premier Leaguebut also in the lower leagues.
This is followed by Germany with 109 actors. Josue Duverger is also there. He is the goalkeeper for the German fifth division club FC Cosmos Koblenz and is in the Haitian national team squad.
Behind Germany are France and Spain, each with 86 World Cup players. This is followed by Italy (71), Saudi Arabia (49), the Netherlands (46), Turkey (45), the USA (42), Brazil and Portugal (36 each).
Interesting: Hardly any of the 46 players who play in the Netherlands play in the national team. This has a rate of 92.3 percent among legionnaires. Only Wout Weghorst (Ajax Amsterdam) and Guus Til (PSV Eindhoven) play in the Eredivisie .
Man City: 19 players in twelve World Cup participants
The situation is similar with the clubs. Manchester City New coach Enzo Maresca should consider whether he really starts his job on July 1st. Because he would then have to do without 19 players during training. actors of the “Citizens” can be found in the squads of Algeria, Belgium, Croatia, Egypt, England, France, Ghana, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Uzbekistan. This represents Man City the most World Cup players – closely followed by FC Bayern Munich with 18 players.
These follow Champions League-Finalists FC arsenal (16), Paris Saint Germain (15), FC Barcelona (14), Al Hilal, Atletico Madrid, Crystal Palace and Manchester United (12 each) as well as Borussia Dortmund, Galatasaray Istanbul and FC Liverpool (11 each).
Real Madrid is missing from the top 10 list. This is because Spain national coach Luis de la Fuentes is without players from the “Royals” in his team. That’s why they “only” have ten players.
According to the world association FIFA, 449 clubs from 71 countries are represented (14 from Asia, six from Africa, seven from North and Central America and the Caribbean, eight from South America, one from Oceania and 35 from Europe).
| Top nations | Top clubs |
|---|---|
England – 200 | Manchester City – 19 |
Germany – 109 | FC Bayern Munich – 18 |
France – 86 | Arsenal FC – 16 |
Spain – 86 | Paris Saint Germain – 15 |
Italy – 71 | FC Barcelona – 14 |
Saudi Arabia – 49 | Al Hilal – 12 |
Netherlands – 46 | Atlético Madrid – 12 |
Türkiye – 45 | Crystal Palace – 12 |
USA – 42 | Manchester United – 12 |
Brazil – 36 | Borussia Dortmund – 11 |
Portugal – 36 | Galatasary Istanbul – 11 |
Liverpool FC – 11 |