Research from the Oxford Migration Observatory has revealed nearly a quarter of the 1,248 players selected for national teams were born in a different country from the one they will represent.
It says 23.6 per cent of players will represent a country other than the one they were born in, however even at the tournaments third edition in 1938, teams already consisted of 12.3 per cent of foreign-born players.
This study comes after Morocco's success at the 2022 Fifa World Cup.
Before they tournament they were ranked 22nd in the world, yet they became the first African nation to ever reach the semi-final.
This sparked debate because 14 of the players int heir 26-man squad were foreign-born.
Coming into the 2026 world cup some teams are far higher than this. 96 per cent of Curacao's players were born abroad, as were 85 per cent of the Democratic Republic of the Congo's, and 73 per cent of Morocco's.
One study from 2022 analysed every World Cup between 1970 and 2018 and found that teams with more foreign-born players generally progressed further in the tournament.
England’s 2026 squad also tells a story about the country’s migration history.
Alongside Marc Guéhi, who was born in Ivory Coast, at least nine players had a parent born overseas.
At the same time, 24 players born in England have been selected by other World Cup teams.
This includes five representing Scotland and 19 playing for countries beyond the British Isles (including the US, New Zealand and Ghana).
Although, the study points out that migration doesn't necessarily win World Cups, with Argentina winning in 2022 with zero foreign-born players on the team.
