When the ball is kicked in New Jersey, U.S.A. on Sunday, July 19 between Argentina and Spain, not only will two Spanish citizens face off against each other in the final game of the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup, it will be the culmination of a narrative that has permeated the entire tournament — a story of players representing nations that may or may not have been the country of their birth.
Lionel Messi emigrated from Argentina to Spain as a 13-year-old and was granted Spanish citizenship in 2005 to be able to play for Barcelona as a senior player at age 18 (even though he has always represented Argentina on the international stage).
According to a 2005 post on worldsoccer.com:
Under Spanish Football Federation rules, each Primera Liga club is allowed only three non-European Union players in their squad and with Barca’s three berths occupied by Cameroon striker Samuel Eto’o, Mexican defender Rafael Marquez and Brazilian playmaker Ronaldinho, there was no opportunity for Messi.
Lamine Yamal, the 18-year-old striker born in Spain, had the option to play for Morocco, the country of his father’s birth, or Equatorial Guinea where his mother was born.
Morocco itself, which reached the semifinals of the 2022 Men’s World Cup in Qatar and the quarterfinals of this year’s tournament, sports a team in 2026 that had 19 out of 26 players born outside the country: Six players born in France, six players born in Spain, three players born in the Netherlands, three players born in Belgium and one player born in Canada.
GLOBAL DIASPORA
This reliance on the global diaspora resulted in Morocco becoming the first team in Men’s World Cup history to start an entire lineup of 11 foreign-born players.
Spain itself has two players born outside the country: Aymeric Laporte was born in Agen, France. He earned his Spanish citizenship through residency and Basque ancestry, becoming a core part of Spain’s squad for the 2026 World Cup.
Robin Le Normand was born in Pabu, France. He was granted Spanish citizenship in 2023, established himself as a starter at center-back, and plays his club football for Atlético Madrid.
On the 26-player United States Men’s National Team roster for the 2026 World Cup, there were between six and seven players who were born outside of the United States, including Sebastian Berhalter (London, England), Gio Reyna (Sunderland, United Kingdom), Malik Tillman (Nurenberg, Germany), Alejandro Zendejas (Ciudad Juarez, Mexico) and Folarin Balogun (London, England).
Additionally, more than half of the 26-man squad holds dual citizenship, with several other players born in the United States to international parents or raised partly abroad.
For 2026 Men’s World Cup darlings Cape Verde, over half of the 26-man squad was born outside of Cape Verde, primarily across Europe and the United States. These overseas-born players represent the extensive Cape Verdean diaspora:
- Netherlands: Jamiro Monteiro, Deroy Duarte, Laros Duarte, Garry Rodrigues, Dailon Livramento and Sidny Lopes Cabral.
- Portugal: Jovane Cabral, Helio Varela, Telmo Arcanjo, and Wagner Pina.
- France: Logan Costa, Steven Moreira, and Willy Semedo.
- Ireland: Roberto “Pico” Lopes.
- United States: CJ Dos Santos.
