South Africa will head into the 2026 FIFA World Cup as one of just eight nations among the 48 qualified teams whose squads are made up entirely of players born within their own borders, underlining a growing contrast with many international sides that rely heavily on diaspora talent.

Every member of Hugo Broos’ 26-man squad was born in South Africa. The closest the team comes to having a player with links to another nationality is defender Ime Okon, whose parents are Nigerian, although he was born and raised in Johannesburg.

Interestingly, one of Bafana Bafana’s group-stage opponents, the Czech Republic, also boasts a fully homegrown squad, with all of their selected players born in the country.

The Czech Republic joins Brazil, Colombia, Panama, Austria, Sweden and Saudi Arabia as the only other nations at the tournament with squads consisting entirely of homegrown talent.

Across the competition as a whole, 310 players were born outside the countries they represent, accounting for roughly a quarter of all participants. The figure reflects the increasing impact of global migration and multicultural communities on international football over recent decades.

Curaçao have the highest number of foreign-born players at the tournament, with 25 members of their 26-man squad born in the Netherlands. Midfielder Tahith Chong is the lone exception to that trend.

African nations are particularly well represented among teams with significant numbers of foreign-born players, reflecting the strong connections many countries maintain with their overseas communities.

The Democratic Republic of Congo rank second overall, with 20 members of their squad born abroad. Of those players, 11 were born in France, five in Belgium, two in England and two in Switzerland.

Morocco follow closely with 19 foreign-born players. The North African side benefits from a strong European influence, particularly from Spain, with stars such as Achraf Hakimi and Brahim Díaz among those eligible through dual nationality. Their foreign-born contingent includes six players born in France, five in Spain, three in Belgium, three in the Netherlands and one in Canada, goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.

Among European nations, Bosnia and Herzegovina have the highest number of foreign-born players in their squad, with 17. Four of those players were born in Germany, highlighting the country’s sizeable Bosnian diaspora.

Algeria also draw heavily from talent developed abroad, with 16 foreign-born players. Thirteen were born in France, while the remaining three were born in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands respectively.

Haiti match Algeria’s total of 16 foreign-born players. The majority were born in France, accounting for 12 members of the squad, while two were born in the United States and one each in Canada and Switzerland.

Qatar present one of the most diverse examples at the tournament, with 14 foreign-born players originating from nine different countries. Their squad includes players born in nations such as Brazil, Ghana, Portugal, Senegal and Somalia, illustrating the country’s multicultural football landscape.

France’s influence on the global football landscape is particularly striking. A remarkable 75 players born in France will represent other nations at the 2026 World Cup, while the French squad itself includes three foreign-born players: Michael Olise, who was born in England, Marcus Thuram, born in Italy, and goalkeeper Brice Samba, who was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

As a result, nearly eight percent of the tournament’s 1,248 selected players were born in France, underlining the country’s status as one of football’s most significant talent-producing nations.

Defending world champions Argentina also feature foreign-born players in their squad, with Giuliano Simeone born in Italy and Nico Paz born in Spain. Portugal, meanwhile, include Brazilian-born Matheus Nunes and Swiss-born goalkeeper Diogo Costa.

England’s squad contains a single foreign-born player in defender Marc Guéhi, who was born in Côte d’Ivoire before moving to England at a young age.

Germany are in a similar position, with Waldemar Anton their only foreign-born squad member. The defender was born in Uzbekistan before later establishing himself in German football.

One of the tournament’s more intriguing stories involves Netherlands midfielder Guus Til. Born in Zambia, he was once courted by the African nation with a view to representing them internationally before ultimately committing his future to the Dutch national team.

Foreign-Born Players by 2026 World Cup Squad

Curaçao top the list of teams relying on overseas-born talent, with 25 of their 26 players born outside the country they represent.

The Democratic Republic of Congo and Morocco follow closely behind with 20 and 19 foreign-born players respectively, while Bosnia and Herzegovina, Algeria and Haiti also feature heavily among the nations drawing on diaspora communities.

Number of foreign-born players in each World Cup squad:

• Curaçao – 25
• DR Congo – 20
• Morocco – 19
• Bosnia and Herzegovina – 17
• Algeria – 16
• Haiti – 16
• Tunisia – 15
• Cape Verde – 14
• Qatar – 14
• Senegal – 12
• Turkey – 10
• Côte d’Ivoire – 9
• Iraq – 9
• Australia – 8
• Ghana – 8
• Croatia – 8
• New Zealand – 8
• Scotland – 7
• Canada – 7
• Mexico – 5
• Paraguay – 5
• France – 3
• Ecuador – 3
• Jordan – 3
• Switzerland – 3
• Argentina – 2
• Iran – 2
• Uruguay – 2
• Norway – 2
• Portugal – 2
• England – 1
• South Korea – 1
• Germany – 1
• Spain – 1
• Uzbekistan – 1
• Belgium – 1
• Japan – 1
• Netherlands – 1
• Egypt – 1

The figures illustrate the increasingly international nature of modern football, with many national teams benefiting from players born abroad who qualify through family heritage, migration patterns or dual-nationality pathways.