Number of foreign-born players at the World Cup 2022, by team

Soccer is a truly international sport, and few sporting events are followed by more people around the world than the FIFA World Cup. The 2022 World Cup saw 32 countries from six continents compete on the biggest stage in world soccer, and while the teams competing were divided by country, many of the players’ backgrounds were diverse and transcended borders.
 

Which country had the most international squad at the World Cup?

Morocco had the most foreign-born players out of any team at the World Cup, with 14 out of its 26 players being born in another country. Fellow African nations Tunisia and Senegal were not far behind, with 12 players, or around 46 percent of their respective squads, born overseas. Many of these players were born in France, with just under 40 percent of Tunisia’s World Cup squad being French-born. Meanwhile, just four teams at the tournament had no foreign-born players at all: Argentina, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, and South Korea. The World Cup's all-time top goal scorer was also born in a country different to the team he represented: Miroslav Klose, who scored 16 World Cup goals for Germany, was born in Poland.
 

The Williams brothers and a World Cup of firsts

The 2022 tournament saw two brothers called up for different countries for the first time in World Cup history. While Iñaki Williams represented Ghana, his younger brother Nico featured for Spain. Both played for Athletic Bilbao at club level. However, they were not the only players to have a sibling playing for a different national team: the twin brother of Mexico’s Rogelio Funes Mori, Ramiro, represents Argentina at international level. However, Ramiro was not called up for the tournament, meaning they did not face each other when the two teams met in the group stage.