South Africa showcase homegrown talent as other World Cup teams rely on foreign-born stars

[p]All 26 players selected by Hugo Broos were born in South Africa. The closest the squad comes to having a player with ties to another nationality is defender [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/okon-ime/EFI44jgD/"]Ime Okon[/a], whose parents are Nigerian, though he was born in Johannesburg.[/p][p]Another of the fully homegrown squads is in Bafana Bafana’s group, with every player in the Czech Republic squad born in that country.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/brazil/I9l9aqLq/"]Brazil[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/colombia/G02s4PCS/"]Colombia[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/panama/OWKqbCfi/"]Panama[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/austria/naHiWdnt/"]Austria[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/sweden/OQyqbHWB/"]Sweden[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/saudi-arabia/biSY8ox4/"]Saudi Arabia[/a] are the only other teams with entirely homegrown squads.[/p][p]In all, there are 310 players at the World Cup who were born outside the country they will represent, which equates to a quarter of players on show and is a nod to the growth in human migration over the last 50 years. [/p][p]The team with the most foreign-born players is [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/curacao/bLLGpOkQ/"]Curaçao[/a], with 25 of their 26-man squad born in the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/netherlands/WYintcWb/"]Netherlands[/a]. Midfielder [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/chong-tahith/KxziU4tD/"]Tahith Chong[/a] is the notable exception.[/p][image alt="Tahith Chong is the only member of the Curaçao squad born in that country" id="ae84b741-ecf5-45dd-94b8-83cc768d9790" credit-line="WM SPORT MEDIA / GETTY IMAGES EUROPE / GETTY IMAGES VIA AFP" guid="e931a418-b623-4eeb-8927-8c8a41788b1c" original-width="3248" original-height="2202" /][p]It is not surprising to see African nations feature prominently on the list. Second are [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/d-r-congo/phn9mm8H/"]DR Congo[/a], who have 20 players born outside the country: [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/france/QkGeVG1n/"]France[/a] (11), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/belgium/GbB957na/"]Belgium[/a] (5), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/england/j9N9ZNFA/"]England[/a] (2) and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/switzerland/rHJ2vy1B/"]Switzerland[/a] (2).[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/morocco/IDKYO3R8/"]Morocco[/a] are next with 19 foreign-born players, including a strong Spanish influence through the likes of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/hakimi-achraf/MqFBkBsp/"]Achraf Hakimi[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/diaz-brahim/nm2Qvnyk/"]Brahim Díaz[/a]. Their foreign-born contingent includes players born in France (6), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/spain/bLyo6mco/"]Spain[/a] (5), Belgium (3), the Netherlands (3) and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/canada/x4toKORL/"]Canada[/a] (1), the latter being goalkeeper [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/bono-bounou-yassine/ne0lafKc/"]Yassine Bounou[/a].[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/bosnia-herzegovina/fqe7WYTr/"]Bosnia and Herzegovina[/a] are the European nation with the most foreign-born players, with 17, including four born in [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/germany/ptQide1O/"]Germany[/a].[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/algeria/nc87N1BR/"]Algeria[/a] have 16 players born outside the country, with 13 born in France and one each in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/haiti/nk4v10Z1/"]Haiti[/a] also have 16 foreign-born players, including 12 born in France, two in the United States and one each in Canada and Switzerland.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/qatar/zqzHL77i/"]Qatar[/a] are an interesting case, with 14 players born outside the country across nine different nations, including [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/brazil/I9l9aqLq/"]Brazil[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ghana/nNBjHale/"]Ghana[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/portugal/WvJrjFVN/"]Portugal[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/senegal/hOIsJLJr/"]Senegal[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/somalia/Aiu9mqIL/"]Somalia[/a].[/p][image alt="France's Michael Olise was born in England" id="d0b88968-8375-4a5d-9e76-821ff4521560" credit-line="MICHAEL OWENS / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / GETTY IMAGES VIA AFP" guid="349b2e71-e727-4c36-bf29-1e6999c1ebff" original-width="7452" original-height="4968" /][p]France, meanwhile, will have an incredible 75 players born in the country representing other teams at the World Cup. They also have three foreign-born players in their own squad: [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/olise-michael/E5pvwqkK/"]Michael Olise[/a] (England), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/thuram-marcus/hMMX02Fm/"]Marcus Thuram[/a] ([a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/italy/hlKvieGH/"]Italy[/a]) and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/samba-brice/6L93gfZq/"]Brice Samba[/a] (DR Congo).[/p][p]That means almost 8% of the 1,248 players selected for the tournament were born in France.[/p][p]Defending champions [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/argentina/f9OppQjp/"]Argentina[/a] have two foreign-born players in [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/simeone-giuliano/IJTJu41i/"]Giuliano Simeone[/a] (Italy) and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/paz-martinez-nicolas/GG6EYRT0/"]Nico Paz[/a] (Spain), while Portugal have [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/matheus-nunes/bXbvxFWS/"]Matheus Nunes[/a] (Brazil) and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/diogo-costa/hC31Ab0c/"]Diogo Costa[/a] (Switzerland).[/p][p]Even England have one foreign-born player in defender [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/guehi-marc/KEeklutO/"]Marc Guéhi[/a], who was born in Côte d’Ivoire.[/p][p]Germany’s lone foreign-born player is [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/anton-waldemar/b3gqj94D/"]Waldemar Anton[/a], who was born in [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/uzbekistan/EZYKKRMc/"]Uzbekistan[/a].[/p][p]One of the more unusual cases is Netherlands midfielder [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/til-guus/bcK8T2U3/"]Guus Til[/a], who was born in Zambia and was pursued for a time by that country to represent them internationally.[/p][image alt="The Netherlands' Guus Til was born in Zambia" id="87140ad0-66b5-4131-b52d-24731fd7e851" credit-line="PETER LOUS / NURPHOTO / NURPHOTO VIA AFP" guid="ec731608-8a71-4417-8dc0-df51b0696a08" original-width="5906" original-height="4134" /][p][b]Number of players born outside the country they will represent at the 2026 World Cup:[/b][/p][p]Curaçao (25)[/p][p]DR Congo (20)[/p][p]Morocco (19)[/p][p]Bosnia and Herzegovina (17)[/p][p]Algeria (16)[/p][p]Haiti (16)[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/tunisia/QqZVYk95/"]Tunisia[/a] (15)[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/cape-verde/MocyWdm7/"]Cape Verde[/a] (14)[/p][p]Qatar (14)[/p][p]Senegal (12)[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/turkey/QeijuHo5/"]Turkey[/a] (10)[/p][p]Côte d’Ivoire (9)[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/iraq/K8aAGt6r/"]Iraq[/a] (9)[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/australia/xSrf6qMM/"]Australia[/a] (8)[/p][p]Ghana (8)[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/croatia/K8aznggo/"]Croatia[/a] (8)[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/new-zealand/rLctHkpU/"]New Zealand[/a] (8)[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/scotland/fZRU25WH/"]Scotland[/a] (7)[/p][p]Canada (7)[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/mexico/O6iHcNkd/"]Mexico[/a] (5)[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/paraguay/YaNlqp6j/"]Paraguay[/a] (5)[/p][p]France (3)[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ecuador/8tbm8Tri/"]Ecuador[/a] (3)[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/jordan/vNcmJoU2/"]Jordan[/a] (3)[/p][p]Switzerland (3)[/p][p]Argentina (2)[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/iran/xrRx85iA/"]Iran[/a] (2)[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/uruguay/xMk44orG/"]Uruguay[/a] (2)[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/norway/8rP6JO0H/"]Norway[/a] (2)[/p][p]Portugal (2)[/p][p]England (1)[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/south-korea/K6Gs7P6G/"]South Korea[/a] (1)[/p][p]Germany (1)[/p][p]Spain (1)[/p][p]Uzbekistan (1)[/p][p]Belgium (1)[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/japan/ULXPdOUj/"]Japan[/a] (1)[/p][p]Netherlands (1)[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/egypt/bejDn7NN/"]Egypt[/a] (1)[/p]