France provides record 98 home‑born players for World Cup 2026 squads

The 2026 FIFA World Cup, co‑hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, will feature a record 98 players born in France. Out of the 1,248 players registered for the tournament, 23 will represent the French national team itself.

The remaining French‑born players are spread across eleven other national sides: Algeria (13), Haiti (12), Congo (11), Senegal (10), Ivory Coast (8), Tunisia (7), Morocco (6), Ghana (3), Guinea (3), and Egypt (1). Notable examples include goalkeeper Brice Samba, who was born in the Congo, forward Marcus Thuram, born in Parma, Italy, and Michael Olise, born in London to a Nigerian‑British father and Algerian mother. France thus acts as a major talent factory for a wide range of national teams at the tournament.