Sports
24 Players Born in England But Represent Other 2026 World Cup Teams
Twenty-four players who were born in England, making them eligible to play for the Three Lions, will represent other nations at the 2026 World Cup finals.
A study posted on Reddit found that 289 players in 2026 World Cup squads do not represent their country of birth. Only France (76 players) and Netherlands (44 players) have more players competing for other World Cup nations than England.
Only one player in Thomas Tuchel’s 26-man squad wasn’t born in England. Manchester City defender Marc Guehi was born in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, but moved to London at the age of one.
Here are the 24 players born in England but representing other World Cup nations. Just imagine how strong Tuchel’s starting line-up would be this summer if these players had chosen to play for England instead.
DR Congo (Two Players)
DR Congo have two players who were born in England: West Ham defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Kilmarnock midfielder Aaron Tshibola.
Both players represented England at youth level before opting to play for DR Congo as senior professionals. On his decision to play for DR Congo, Wan-Bissaka said: “It’s my country, where my parents come from. I grew up in a Congolese household, and I’m proud to represent it.”
Iraq (One Player)
Manchester United fans will be familiar with the name Zidane Iqbal. The Manchester-born midfielder was once touted as a potential first-team star but ended up making just one senior appearance for the Red Devils before moving to Dutch outfit Utrecht.
Iqbal had the choice to represent England, Iraq or Pakistan. Since 2022, the 23-year-old has played 22 times for Iraq, scoring two goals.
Ghana (Three Players)
England’s stars will meet Ghana in the World Cup group stages and face three players who were born in the same country as them.
Manchester City’s Antoine Semenyo was born in London, as was Jerome Opoku, who started at Fulham but now plies his trade with Istanbul Basaksehir. Meanwhile, Milton Keynes-born Brandon Thomas-Asante will be a Premier League player with Coventry City next season.
England Stars Might Not Shake Hands With Player at 2026 World Cup as FA ‘Consider Position’
The Football Association are considering England’s position before an official decision is made
New Zealand (Three Players)
Veteran centre-back Tommy Smith was born in Macclesfield and played for England U17s and U18s before switching to New Zealand, while defensive midfielder Joe Bell was born in Bristol.
Matthew Garbett was born in London but moved to New Zealand at a young age. He’s now back in England playing for Peterborough United.
Scotland (Five Players)
Scott McTominay is Scotland’s star player but was actually born in Lancaster, England. Tyler Fletcher, son of Darren, was born in Manchester and plays for the Red Devils alongside his twin brother Jack, who plays for England’s Under-19s.
Goalkeeper Angus Gunn played for England’s youth teams before switching his international allegiances to Scotland, while Leicester-born Che Adams and Sheffield-born George Hirst also began life south of the border.
Canada (Three Players)
Goalkeeper Owen Goodman was born in London but moved to Canada aged five. Although he resented Canada at Under-20 level, he also made two appearances after that for England’s U20s. However, he has been named in Canada’s 26-man World Cup squad.
Fulham defender Luc de Fougerolles was also born in London, while Middlesbrough’s Alfie Jones has spent his entire life living in England but is eligible to represent Canada through his grandmother.
USA (Three Players)
Fulham left-back Antonee Robinson was born in Milton Keynes, while Giovanni Reyna was born in Sunderland. Reyna’s father, former USA star Claudio, was playing for Sunderland at the time of his birth.
Their international teammate Sebastian Berhalter, who plays for Major League Soccer side Vancouver Whitecaps, was born in London but grew up in Columbus, Ohio.
France (One Player)
Michael Olise has cemented his status as one of the world’s best players since leaving Crystal Palace for Bayern Munich in 2024. The 2026 Ballon d’Or award contender was born and raised in London to a British-Nigerian father and Franco-Algerian mother.
“I actually come from four countries: France, Algeria, Nigeria and England.” Olise said. “I consider myself very lucky to possess these four parts, which all enrich me. I feel each individual part in me, I’ve developed attachments in all my countries.”
A Modern-Day Yugoslavia 26-Man Squad Would be a Major Force at the 2026 World Cup
How a modern-day Yugoslavia squad would look – including a scary starting line-up
Switzerland (One Player)
Marvin Keller, one of Switzerland’s three 2026 World Cup goalkeepers, was born in London and only became a ‘keeper because his father bought him goalie gloves as a joke.
The 23-year-old, who also represented Switzerland at Under-19 and Under-21 level, has been on the books of Young Boys since 2023.
Norway (Two Players)
Like the USA’s Giovanni Reyna, Erling Haaland was born in England because his dad played professionally in the Premier League. However, there was never any doubt that Erling would follow in the footsteps of his dad, Alf-Inge, by representing Norway.
Former Liverpool youth player Thelo Aasgaard was also born in England but, like Erling, has only ever pulled on the Norway shirt.
Can you imagine England’s starting line-up with the likes of Haaland, Olise, McTominay and Semenyo added to it? They’d surely be the red-hot favourites to lift the World Cup trophy.
Sports
Arsenal in Talks to Sign Leicester City Winger Jeremy Monga
Arsenal are showing an interest in signing one of the brightest young talents in England ahead of the summer transfer window, and he wants to join the club.
The Gunners enjoyed a phenomenal season, finally winning the Premier League after over 20 years.
Arsenal did miss out on lifting the Champions League, however, losing in the final on penalties. As a result, they won’t want to stand still with their recruitment.
The summer window is an opportunity for the Gunners to go to the next level once again, potentially pushing to win a European trophy.
It’s also a chance for them to invest in young talent from around the world, knowing they already have a squad capable of winning the Premier League and reaching the Champions League final.
Fabrizio Romano: Arsenal Make Calls to Sign ‘World-Class’ Star for Mikel Arteta
Arsenal are preparing for a strong summer window.
Arsenal Eyeing Leicester Talent
According to GIVEMESPORRT correspondent Ben Jacobs, Arsenal are in talks to sign Leicester City winger Jeremy Monga ahead of the summer transfer window.
The 16-year-old is attracting interest from a number of clubs, including from the Premier League, with the Foxes receiving as many as eight enquiries.
It’s claimed that Monga could cost in the region of £10m, while it’s possible that a deal could go to a tribunal to determine a fee, due to his age.
Monga Wants to Join
According to reports, Arsenal are confident that they can secure the signature of Monga in the upcoming transfer window.
It’s also claimed that Monga does want to join Arsenal this summer, despite interest from other clubs such as Manchester United.
Monga, described as ‘generational’, is almost guaranteed to leave Leicester in the coming weeks after they were relegated from the Championship, with a host of Premier League clubs battling to secure his signature.
It appears Arsenal could be leading the race as they prepare to build a squad for the future after already winning the Premier League title.
Sports
15 Worst Premier League Players in 25/26 Based on Stats
There were a few standout performers in the 2025/26 Premier League season.
The likes of Declan Rice, Gabriel Magalhães and David Raya were all brilliant as Arsenal’s 22-year wait for a Premier League title came to an end.
Erling Haaland was brilliant as he hit the back of the net 27 times. The Norwegian’s Man City teammates, Jeremy Doku and Rayan Cherki, also excelled.
Elsewhere, Bruno Fernandes enjoyed a record-breaking campaign for Man Utd as he registered 21 assists, while Dominik Szobolszlai impressed despite a dismal season for Liverpool.
However, while the aforementioned names excelled, others failed to impress. The 15 worst players in the Premier League in the 25/26 have now been named, based on FotMob statistics.
15-11
Wolverhampton Wanderers had a dismal campaign. They managed to win just three matches and accumulate just 20 points as they finished rock-bottom.
It is, therefore, no surprise that three of their players feature among the worst players in England’s top tier in 2025/26: Rodrigo Gomes (6.43), Hwang Hee-chan (6.41) and Jean-Ricner Bellegarde (6.40).
Leeds United signed Lukas Nmecha in the summer of 2025 hoping he could help them preserve their Premier League status. Leeds managed to do comfortably, but Nmecha himself didn’t have the best of campaigns.
The 11th worst player in the Premier League in 2025/26, according to statistics, was West Ham’s Callum Wilson. The 34-year-old features despite scoring seven times. He is searching for a new club this summer after departing the Hammers following the expiration of his contract.
|
15 worst players in the Premier League in 25/26 (15-11) |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Rank |
Player |
Club |
Nationality |
Rating |
|
15 |
Rodrigo Gomes |
Wolves |
Portugal |
6.43 |
|
14 |
Lukas Nmecha |
Leeds |
Germany |
6.42 |
|
13 |
Hwang Hee-chan |
Wolves |
South Korea |
6.41 |
|
12 |
Jean-Ricner Bellegarde |
Wolves |
Haiti |
6.40 |
|
11 |
Callum Wilson |
West Ham |
England |
6.40 |
10-6
Anthony Elanga was maginificent in the 2024/25 campaign as he inspired Nottingham Forest to a top six finish. His brilliance caught the attention of Newcastle United, who signed him for £55 million. He proved to be one of the worst signings of the season as he failed to find the back of the net and recorded just one assist in 32 matches.
Burnley suffered relegation back to the Championship with Loum Tchaouna (6.33) and Josh Laurent (6.31) both flattering to deceive. They were statistically the ninth-worst and seventh-worst players in England’s top tier respectively.
Rodrigo Muniz, who managed just one goal, and Sunderland’s Wilson Isidor also feature among the worst players in England’s top tier in 25/26.
|
15 worst players in the Premier League in 25/26 (10-6) |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Rank |
Player |
Club |
Nationality |
Rating |
|
10 |
Anthony Elanga |
Newcastle |
Sweden |
6.39 |
|
9 |
Loum Tchaouna |
Burnley |
France |
6.34 |
|
8 |
Rodrigo Muniz |
Fulham |
Brazil |
6.33 |
|
7 |
Josh Laurent |
Burnley |
England |
6.31 |
|
6 |
Wilson Isidor |
Sunderland |
Haiti |
6.31 |
5-1
Jacob Bruun Larsen’s average of 6.30 places him among the five worst players in the Premier League this season.
Tottenham Hotspur signed Randal Kolo Muani on loan with the hopes he could fire them back to Europe. The north London side will be relieved the deal did not contain an obligation to make the switch permanent, with the Frenchman managing just one goal in England’s top tier.
Liam Delap’s performances for Ipswich Town during the 24/25 campaign attracted the attention of some of England’s top clubs. Chelsea won the race for his signature as he signed for the club in a £30m deal, only for him to have a disastrous campaign where he hit the back of the net just once.
Only two players in the Premier League were statistically worse than the Chelsea striker: Lyle Foster and Jorgen Strand Larsen.
Strand Larsen, who made the £55 million from Wolves to Crystal Palace in January, recorded an average rating of 6.23, the lowest of any player in the Premier League.
|
15 worst players in the Premier League in 25/26 (15-11) |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Rank |
Player |
Club |
Nationality |
Rating |
|
5 |
Jacob Bruun Larsen |
Burnley |
Denmark |
6.30 |
|
4 |
Randal Kolo Muani |
Tottenham Hotspur |
France |
6.30 |
|
3 |
Liam Delap |
Chelsea |
England |
6.30 |
|
2 |
Lyle Foster |
Burnley |
South Africa |
6.24 |
|
1 |
Jorgen Strand Larsen |
Crystal Palace |
Norway |
6.23 |
Sports
Man Utd in Talks to Sign Mateus Fernandes After Ederson, He Wants to Join
Manchester United are in talks to sign West Ham United midfielder Mateus Fernandes after reaching an agreement to sign Ederson from Atalanta, according to The Athletic.
Man United have been heavily linked with a move for Ederson for weeks now, with Athletic journalist David Ornstein confirming on Tuesday night that an agreement had been reached with Atalanta worth a €40.5m fixed fee, with a potential €4.5m extra in add-ons.
The Brazilian is set to sign a five-year deal to move to Old Trafford, with a move expected to be completed at the beginning of July after the Italian transfer window opens at the end of this month.
With reports suggesting that the Red Devils could look to add up to three central midfielders to their squad this summer, with Casemiro’s exit already confirmed and Manuel Ugarte expected to join him, INEOS are not done yet after the Ederson deal.
The club must now decide who their next target or targets are going to be, as they hunt a top-class replacement for Casemiro in the coming weeks.
United would love to land England international Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest, but there are two stumbling blocks: his price tag and the fact that he prefers a move to Manchester City instead.
The Athletic: Man United Holding Talks to Sign Mateus Fernandes
One Premier League star who has come onto the radar of many of Europe’s biggest clubs is West Ham United’s Mateus Fernandes.
The likes of the Red Devils were considering a move for the impressive 21-year-old even before the Irons’ relegation to the Championship, which has only provided an even bigger opportunity for his suitors.
The Athletic report that United have held talks with West Ham over a potential fee and the player over personal terms, with the Hammers having little choice but to cash in on their prized asset after slipping into England’s second tier.
Fernandes has been described as a ‘superstar’ by one scout, and separate reports believe they value him in excess of £80m. They may be forced to sell him for less than that given they are now a Championship club, however.
Separate reports claim that Fernandes is very keen to move to Old Trafford to link up with Portuguese compatriot Bruno.
-
Politics1 day ago2027: Jonathan not power-hungry – Former aide
-
Sports2 days agoJohn Terry Sends Message to Gabriel After Champions League Final
-
Metro1 day agoPolice debunk bandit invasion rumours in Lagos, arrest 15
-
Sports1 day agoEverton Lead Race to Sign Midfielder Hayden Hackney: David Ornstein
-
Politics2 days agoKano PDP backs Jonathan’s presidential bid
-
Sports1 day agoCeltic Agree to Terminate Stephen Welsh’s Contract Early
-
Entertainment2 days agoSerena Williams Is Coming Back to Tennis, and the Sports World Can’t Stop Talking About It
-
Business2 days agoStock market dips 1.13% as investors lose N1.81trn



