Saudi Arabia and Qatar rely heavily on home-based talent at the World Cup

Abdulhamid stands as Saudi Arabia’s only foreign-based star.

WASHINGTON, June 3: FIFA's latest statistical report on the 2026 World Cup has highlighted several notable trends among participating nations, including player distribution by clubs and leagues, as well as squad composition across the tournament.

England tops the list of countries whose clubs employ World Cup players, with 200 squad members competing across the English football pyramid. Germany follows with 109 players, ahead of France and Spain with 86 each, while Italy has 71 and Saudi Arabia 49.

Saudi Arabia and Qatar stand out as the teams most dependent on home-based talent, with 25 players in each squad currently playing in their respective domestic leagues. Saudi Arabia's only overseas-based player is right-back Saud Abdulhamid of French club Lens, while Qatar's sole foreign-based representative is left-back Homam Ahmed, who plays for Spanish side Cultural y Deportiva Leonesa.

In contrast, Cape Verde, DR Congo, Ivory Coast, Curaçao, Senegal, and Uruguay have selected squads made up entirely of players based outside their domestic leagues, with no locally based footballers included in their World Cup rosters.