Sports
23 Clubs With Most Players at the 2026 World Cup
The 2026 World Cup is on the horizon, and the 48 nations that will be competing have now named their 26-man player squads.
Euro 2024 champions Spain have a plethora of world-class players in their ranks and are the favourites to lift the trophy in July. The likes of France, England, Portugal, Argentina and Brazil will also fancy their chances of going all the way.
In total, 1248 footballers will take part in this year’s tournament, which is being co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The 23 clubs that will have the most players at the 2026 World Cup have now been revealed by the Athletic.
9 Players
Six teams have nine players going to the World Cup. That includes Egyptian club, Al-Ahly. Eight of their players will be representing Egypt, while Youssef Belammari has been named in Morocco’s squad.
Saudi Arabian sides Al-Ahli and Al-Nassr both have nine players going to this summer’s tournament. Franck Kessie (Ivory Coast) and Edouard Mendy (Senegal) are Al-Ahli’s most notable representatives, while Al-Nassr’s Cristiano Ronaldo will have his last opportunity to become a world champion with Portugal.
Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martinez will be hoping to inspire Argentina to World Cup glory once more, while Sunderland will have nine players at the tournament, including Granit Xhaka (Switzerland) and Robin Roefs (Netherlands).
Nine players from Flamengo will also take part, including former Premier League stars Lucas Paqueta and Danilo.
|
Clubs with 9 players going to the World Cup |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Club |
Total |
Nation |
Notable Players |
|
Al-Ahly |
9 |
Egypt |
Youssef Belammari, Mahmoud Trezeguet, Almed Zizo |
|
Al-Ahli |
9 |
Saudi Arabia |
Franck Kessié, Édouard Mendy, Roger Ibañez |
|
Al-Nassr |
9 |
Saudi Arabia |
Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mane, Joao Felix |
|
Aston Villa |
9 |
England |
Ollie Watkins, Morgan Rogers, Emiliano Martinez |
|
Flamengo |
9 |
Braziil |
Lucas Paquetá, Alex Sandro, Danilo |
|
Sunderland |
9 |
England |
Granit Xhaka, Robin Roefs, Brian Brobbey |
10 Players
Five sides have 10 players going to the World Cup, including Real Madrid. Remarkably, there are zero Los Blanco players in Spain’s World Cup squad. The likes of Jude Bellingham, Thibaut Courtois and Vinicius Jr have been called up by England, Belgium and Brazil respectively.
Of Czechia’s 26-man squad, 10 players represent Slavia Prague at club level, including David Zima, Lukas Provod and Tomas Chory.
USA will be hoping that Christian Pulisic can work his magic in front of their own fans. Nine other AC Milan players will play at the tournament, including France goalkeeper Mike Maignan and Portuguese winger Rafael Leao.
Turkish giants Fenerbahce also have 10 players at the tournament, including N’Golo Kante and Ederson, as do Dutch champions PSV.
|
Clubs with 10 players going to the World Cup |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Club |
Total |
Nation |
Notable Players |
|
Fenerbahce |
10 |
Turkey |
N’Golo Kanté, Éderson, Nelson Semedo |
|
AC Milan |
10 |
Italy |
Christian Pulisic, Mike Maignan, Rafael Leao |
|
PSV |
10 |
Netherlands |
Ivan Perisic, Sergino Dest, Guus Til |
|
Real Madrid |
10 |
Spain |
Jude Bellingham, Thibaut Courtois, Vinícius Júnior |
|
Slavia Prague |
10 |
Czechia |
David Zima, Lukás Provod, Tomáš Chorý |
11-12 Players
Three teams have 11 players going to the World Cup: Borussia Dortmund, Galatasaray and Liverpool.
Egypt’s hopes rest solely on Mohamed Salah, who is leaving the Reds this summer. Liverpool have 10 other players competing, including Virgil van Dijk (Netherlands), Alisson Becker (Brazil), Alexis Mac Allister (Argentina) and Alexander Isak (Sweden). Not a single Liverpool player has been called up to England’s squad, though, with Curtis Jones missing out.
Manchester United have 12 players going to the World Cup, including Bruno Fernandes, as do Crystal Palace. The fact that the Eagles have so many players at the tournament highlights their impressive rise in recent years.
Atletico Madrid also have 12 players, with Marcos Llorente, Álex Baena and Marc Pubill featuring in the Spain squad.
|
Clubs with 11-12 players going to the World Cup |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Club |
Total |
Nation |
Notable Players |
|
Borussia Dortmund |
11 |
Germany |
Gregor Kobel, Marcel Sabitzer, Nico Schlotterbeck |
|
Galatasaray |
11 |
Turkey |
Leroy Sane, Noa Lang, Davinson Sánchez |
|
Liverpool |
11 |
England |
Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, Alisson Becker |
|
Al-Hilal |
12 |
Saudi Arabia |
Théo Hernandez, Ruben Neves, Darwin Nunez |
|
Atletico Madrid |
12 |
Spain |
Julián Alvarez, Marcos Llorente, Giuliano Simeone |
|
Crystal Palace |
12 |
England |
Jean-Philippe Mateta, Daniel Munoz, Ismaila Sarr |
|
Manchester United |
12 |
England |
Bruno Fernandes, Matheus Cunha, Kobbie Mainoo |
15+ Players
Spain have called up seven Barcelona players, including Ballon d’Or contender Lamine Yamal, Pedri and Gavi. Eight of their players will feature for other nations.
The 2026 Champions League finalists, Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain, both have 16 players at this summer’s tournaments. Arsenal quartet Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke will turn out for England, while Ousmane Dembele, Vitinha and Achraf Hakimi are three of PSG’s representatives.
18 Bayern Munich players are going to the World Cup. Harry Kane is hoping to fire England to World Cup glory, Michael Olise has been named in the France squad and Manuel Neuer, now 40, will be the man between the sticks for Germany.
The club with the most players going to the World Cup is Manchester City. 19 of their players have been called up, including Erling Haaland (Norway), Rayan Cherki (France), Rodri (Spain), Jeremy Doku (Belgium) and Marc Guehi (England).
|
Clubs with 15+ players going to the World Cup |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Club |
Total |
Nation |
Notable Players |
|
Barcelona |
15 |
Spain |
Lamine Yamal, Pedri, Gavi |
|
Arsenal |
16 |
England |
Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel |
|
PSG |
16 |
France |
Ousmane Dembele, Vitinha, Achraf Hakimi |
|
Bayern Munich |
18 |
Germany |
Harry Kane, Michael Olise, Manuel Neuer |
|
Manchester City |
19 |
England |
Erling Haaland, Rayan Cherki, Rodri |
Sports
Tottenham Consider Move For Third Free Transfer Of The Summer
Tottenham look set to confirm two new signings on free transfers this summer, with Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi joining the club from Liverpool and Bournemouth respectively.
And there could be a third freebie of the window to add to Roberto De Zerbi‘s squad. According to reports, Tottenham are considering a move to sign Harry Wilson, following his departure from Fulham.
Spurs are making sensible moves in the transfer market, as De Zerbi looks to put his stamp on the ailing squad he inherited from Igor Tudor at the end of March. The Italian rescued the Lilywhites from relegation to the Championship on the final day of the season and he will be aiming to push Spurs up the Premier League table in 2026/27.
De Zerbi still has a big number of injuries at Tottenham
Robertson and Senesi will bolster a backline that conceded more goals last season than every team bar the bottom three, but De Zerbi needs players further up the pitch too.
With a number of players in attacking areas out injured – see Mohammed Kudus, Dejan Kulusevski, Xavi Simons and Wilson Odobert – De Zerbi will want to add attacking reinforcements this summer.
Wilson would certainly add a touch of class. The Welsh forward really came into his own this season, stepping forward as Fulham’s main man in a campaign where the Whites only finished outside the top half on goal difference.
Wilson notched an impressive 10 goals and added seven assists in 36 matches, only missing two top-flight games. He was named inn the starting lineup for 32 of those matches, proving he was a player Marco Silva could count on.
Wilson had the season of his career at Fulham
Speaking earlier in the season, Silva said: “Right now, everything that he touches turns to something magic. Fans should just try to enjoy it. The numbers are incredible, but it’s not just about the numbers, this season he’s been incredible.
“He’s humble, and a hard-worker always. I don’t have doubts he is in the best moment of his career.”
Spurs may not have it all their own way when it comes to getting Wilson to put pen-to-paper on a deal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Given his impressive campaign, there are likely to be other candidates for his signature, with Liverpool named as an interested party.
Wilson has been named by Spurs transfer writer Paul O’Keefe as being on Spurs’ radar this summer as they look for forwards. Savinho has been most heavily linked recently.
Wilson’s contract with Fulham expires at the end of June and at 29 years old he will be looking for what will probably be the last big contract of his career.
Forgotten Tottenham Star Now Set For De Zerbi Stay After Transfer Exit Planned
Spurs star set for extended stay at the club having looked destined to leave
Sports
The Reason Why Wales Players Pose For Bizarre Team Photos Before Matches
The Wales National Team have a history of posing badly for squad photos at major international tournaments, and the men’s team recently reminded everyone of that fact before their international friendly against Ghana.
Wales drew 1-1 with the African side, who have qualified for the 2026 World Cup, in Cardiff on Tuesday night. Caleb Yirenkyi put the visitors 1-0 up midway through the second half, but Lewis Koumas struck a last-gap equaliser for Craig Bellamy’s side.
Prior to kick-off, Wales’ players took part in their bizarre pre-match tradition of posing for their team photo in rather unusual fashion. See their awkward squad photo below:
It’s not just the men’s team who pose like this. Last summer, while making their long-awaited Women’s European Championship debut, Wales’ women’s team followed suit with their own peculiar team photo. See the picture below:
The chaotic pre-match squad photo has become part of tournament tradition for Wales these days, but some may not be aware of the origin story behind the random ritual.
It has been spotted at both women’s and men’s international tournaments since Euro 2016, when the men made it all the way to the semi-finals in France with the likes of Aaron Ramsey and Gareth Bale starring.
Story Behind Wales’ Bizarre Pre-Match Squad Photos
Speaking back in 2016 – when the images first started to go viral – Joe Ledley outlined that they noticed they were getting “lucky” whenever they took an unusual squad photo.
“We were just not very good at them. At first, we didn’t look into it, but then gradually a few photos got together, and it was awful, so we just thought we may as well keep it the same,” he said, as per Belfast Live.
“It’s been lucky for us too. It’s not really superstitious, but I don’t think we will have a proper photo.”
Jonny Williams backed up Ledley’s claims in 2016, adding: “I wasn’t there at the last game, but it looked on the TV like it’s got worse. I’ve been involved in a couple, but they were by accident, to be fair.
“I just don’t think we’re very good at them, and now we’re just doing it for banter I think, but I don’t know how much further we can go….unless we leave Wayne Hennessey on his own at the back!”
We won’t be seeing Wales’ strange team lineups at the 2026 World Cup finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico because they failed to qualify for the showpiece international tournament. Bellamy’s men suffered a heartbreaking penalty shootout defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina in the play-off semi-finals back in March. Their sights are now set on the UEFA Nations League, which gets underway in September.
Sports
Liverpool Doing Everything to Sign Yan Diomande for Iraola Before World Cup
Liverpool are doing everything to sign Yan Diomande for new manager Andoni Iraola before the World Cup starts, but one piece of information around a transfer regarding the Reds is wrong, according to Sky Sports journalist Florian Plettenberg.
Liverpool are facing a transformational summer just 12 months after winning the Premier League title in what was Arne Slot’s debut season in charge at Anfield.
A year later, the Dutchman has lost his job and the Reds are on the verge of appointing Andoni Iraola in the dugout to replace him.
The 43-year-old’s stock rose during the second half of the 2025-26 Premier League campaign, as his side ended the season on an 18-match unbeaten run that saw them finish sixth and qualify for the Champions League, all after losing Antoine Semenyo to Manchester City during the January transfer window.
The Spaniard will already know that he needs new players in his frontline especially ahead of next term, with Mohamed Salah leaving the club this summer and Hugo Ekitike unlikely to be available again for months after rupturing his Achilles.
Iraola has limited options in attack and Alexander Isak’s unavailability for much of this season suggests he cannot be relied on fitness wise either.
Sky Sports: Liverpool Working Hard on Yan Diomande Deal
According to Sky Sports journalist Florian Plettenberg, both Liverpool and Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain want to sign RB Leipzig sensation Yan Diomande.
According to the reporter, the Reds in particular are ‘doing everything’ to complete a deal for the winger before the World Cup starts on June 11.
Some reports have suggested that the ‘sensational’ 19-year-old has agreed to join both Liverpool and PSG already, but Plettenberg denies that is the case.
After a stunning breakthrough season, the Bundesliga outfit are said to be valuing their ‘superstar’ at €100m ahead of the summer transfer window.
Romano Hints at £100m Liverpool Striker Move
While Liverpool are looking to strengthen in the wide positions because of Salah’s exit, they may need a new striker too.
As mentioned previously, Isak showed in 2025-26 he shouldn’t be solely relied upon at a time when Ekitike is on the sidelines, and it means they could look to recruit another centre-forward.
While Fabrizio Romano didn’t confirm the Merseysiders’ interest in Eli Junior Kroupi at Bournemouth, he did hint that they could join the race for his signature once Iraola is confirmed as new Liverpool manager.
There are a lot of big clubs keen on the 19-year-old Cherries forward who, like Diomande, had a brilliant breakthrough campaign in the Premier League.
The teenager ended the campaign with 13 Premier League goals in 33 games, proving the huge potential he has for the future, although Liverpool would face competition from the likes of Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain for his signature.
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