World Cup Squads: Which Clubs and Leagues are Most Represented?
Auf einen Blick
- Manchester City leads with 19 players in the World Cup, followed by Arsenal with 16.
- Spain's squad is exclusively from top European leagues, while teams like Curacao and Qatar have no players from these leagues.
KI-generierte Zusammenfassung
Warum es wichtig ist
With all 48 World Cup squads confirmed, this article analyzes the representation of clubs and leagues within those squads. It looks at which clubs have the most players, how many players from each squad play in top leagues, and identifies the oldest and youngest squads and players.
With all 48 World Cup squads now confirmed, we look at how they shape up and compare with each other leading into the tournament.
Which clubs have the most players? How many of each squad play in the best leagues? And who are the oldest and youngest squads and players at this World Cup?
They may not have won the Premier League but Manchester City's players are the most in-demand on the international stage, with a record 19 representing 12 different countries in the coming weeks.
The champions of Germany, England, France and Spain have the most players at the World Cup after that, with Arsenal providing 16 players for 10 different nations.
Serie A winners Inter Milan have just seven players at the tournament, largely due to Italy's absence.
Looking just at the 20 clubs that made up the 2025-26 Premier League, only this season's top three have more players at the World Cup than Conference League winners Crystal Palace (12).
Including players out on loan over the season, Sunderland remarkably have as many representatives on the global stage as Chelsea and Liverpool (11), showing just how globe-trotting their recruitment was following promotion last summer.
The majority of Brentford, Everton and Leeds' squads can put their feet up and recharge their batteries for next season, with those clubs sending just four players each.
With Europe's top five leagues - France's Ligue 1, Italy's Serie A, the Premier League in England, La Liga in Spain and Germany's Bundesliga - regarded as the best in the world, only Spain's squad is made up exclusively of players from that quintet.
Al-Ahli's Ivan Toney and Galatasaray's Leroy Sane have been selected by England and Germany, while France have included both Theo Hernandez and N'Golo Kante of Al-Hilal and Fenerbahce respectively.
Switzerland, the Netherlands and Belgium have a considerable number of players playing at a high level despite their size while outside of Europe, Argentina and Senegal have the most players playing in the top leagues.
None of Curacao, Iran, Iraq or Qatar's squads played in Europe's top five leagues this season, although Iraqi forward Ali Jasim is on the books of Serie A club Como but spent the season on loan at Saudi side Al-Najma.
