{"id":10331,"date":"2026-06-08T15:35:13","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T15:35:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.datapulse.de\/?p=10331"},"modified":"2026-10-15T10:25:29","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T10:25:29","slug":"world-cup-players-abroad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.datapulse.de\/en\/world-cup-players-abroad\/","title":{"rendered":"Since Bosman: Three in Four World Cup Stars Now Play Abroad"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"10331\" class=\"elementor elementor-10331 elementor-10325\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-833e2cb e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"833e2cb\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c7d6be2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-html\" data-id=\"c7d6be2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" 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*\/\n#dp-lightbox{position:fixed;inset:0;z-index:99999;display:none;align-items:center;justify-content:center;\n background:rgba(10,10,10,.94);padding:24px;cursor:zoom-out;-webkit-backdrop-filter:blur(2px);backdrop-filter:blur(2px);}\n#dp-lightbox.is-open{display:flex;}\n#dp-lightbox img{max-width:100%;max-height:100%;width:auto;height:auto;border-radius:8px;\n box-shadow:0 12px 48px rgba(0,0,0,.6);cursor:default;}\n#dp-lightbox .dp-lb-close{position:absolute;top:18px;right:24px;width:44px;height:44px;border:none;\n border-radius:50%;background:rgba(255,255,255,.14);color:#fff;font-size:26px;line-height:1;cursor:pointer;\n display:flex;align-items:center;justify-content:center;transition:background .15s ease;}\n#dp-lightbox .dp-lb-close:hover{background:rgba(255,255,255,.28);}\n.dp-wm .dp-zoomable{cursor:zoom-in;transition:transform .18s ease,filter .18s ease;}\n.dp-wm .dp-zoomable:hover{transform:translateY(-2px);filter:drop-shadow(0 10px 22px rgba(113,120,206,.30));}\n.dp-wm .dp-zoomable:focus-visible{outline:3px solid var(--dp-purple);outline-offset:6px;border-radius:8px;}\n\n@media (max-width:768px){\n    .dp-wm-nav{display:none;}\n    .dp-wm .dp-chapter{padding:40px 18px;}\n    .dp-wm .dp-intro{padding:48px 18px 24px;}\n    .dp-wm .dp-toc,.dp-wm .dp-chart{padding:18px;}\n}\n<\/style>\n\n<div class=\"dp-wm-progress\"><div class=\"dp-wm-progress-fill\" id=\"dpProgressBar\"><\/div><\/div>\n\n<nav class=\"dp-wm-nav\" id=\"dpStickyNav\">\n    <a href=\"#background-how-the-bosman-ruling-opened-football-s-labour-market\">Ch. 1 \u00b7 Bosman ruling<\/a>\n    <a href=\"#most-world-cup-players-now-ply-their-trade-abroad\">Ch. 2 \u00b7 Players abroad<\/a>\n    <a href=\"#the-english-spanish-and-italians-tend-to-stay-home\">Ch. 3 \u00b7 Staying home<\/a>\n    <a href=\"#germany-s-national-side-is-drawn-abroad-again\">Ch. 4 \u00b7 Germany's side<\/a>\n    <a href=\"#france-argentina-and-brazil-top-of-the-table-for-players-abroad\">Ch. 5 \u00b7 Stars abroad<\/a>\n    <a href=\"#after-bosman-european-club-football-goes-global\">Ch. 6 \u00b7 Club football<\/a>\n    <a href=\"#europe-s-five-major-leagues-compared\">Ch. 7 \u00b7 Major leagues<\/a>\n    <a href=\"#what-the-2026-world-cup-tells-us-about-a-globalised-world\">Ch. 8 \u00b7 Globalised world<\/a>\n    <a href=\"#all-48-nations\">Ch. 9 \u00b7 All 48 nations<\/a>\n    <a href=\"#methodology\">Methodology<\/a>\n<\/nav>\n\n<div class=\"dp-wm\">\n\n<section class=\"dp-intro\" id=\"dp-top\">\n    <div class=\"dp-intro-inner\">\n        <h1 class=\"dp-title\">Since Bosman: Three in Four World Cup Stars Now Play Abroad<\/h1>\n        <p class=\"dp-deck\">Since 1990, the share of national-team players playing abroad has almost tripled.<\/p>\n        <p>1-1, Stoichkov from a free kick, 75th minute. 2-1, Lechkov with a header, 78th. The shock was complete: in the summer of 1994, footballing minnow Bulgaria knocked out the favourites and defending champions, Germany, in the World Cup quarter-final in East Rutherford, New Jersey. More than thirty years later, the World Cup returns to the United States. The world has changed radically since, and so has football.<\/p>\n        <p>The sport and its labour market have grown more open and global. Since 1990, there has been a genuine migration of skilled labour: at the 1990 World Cup, 26% of national-team players were based at foreign clubs; at this year's tournament, the figure is 72%. Over the same period, the share of players with a foreign or migration background in Europe's five major leagues climbed from 23% to 71%.<\/p>\n        <p>That is the finding of a new study by the finance portal <a href=\"https:\/\/www.finalarm.de\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Finalarm<\/a> and the data studio <a href=\"https:\/\/www.datapulse.de\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">DataPulse<\/a>. The analysis traces how the opening of the European football market reshaped transfers and squad composition, and continues to shape them today.<\/p>\n\n        <div class=\"dp-jump-wrap\">\n            <a class=\"dp-jump\" href=\"#all-48-nations\">Jump straight to the interactive comparison: All 48 World Cup nations \u2193<\/a>\n        <\/div>\n\n        <figure class=\"dp-infographic\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.datapulse.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/WCPA-Finalarm-EN-%E2%9C%85-Approved-scaled.png\" alt=\"World Cup 2026: share of players abroad in World Cup squads - infographic by Finalarm and DataPulse\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"dp-zoomable\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Enlarge infographic (fullscreen)\" data-full=\"https:\/\/www.datapulse.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/WCPA-Finalarm-EN-%E2%9C%85-Approved-scaled.png\">\n        <\/figure>\n\n        <div class=\"dp-toc\">\n            <h2 id=\"topics-in-this-article\">Topics in this article:<\/h2>\n            <ul>\n                <li><a href=\"#background-how-the-bosman-ruling-opened-football-s-labour-market\">Background: How the Bosman ruling opened football's labour market<\/a><\/li>\n                <li><a href=\"#most-world-cup-players-now-ply-their-trade-abroad\">Most World Cup players now ply their trade abroad<\/a><\/li>\n                <li><a href=\"#the-english-spanish-and-italians-tend-to-stay-home\">The English, Spanish and Italians tend to stay home<\/a><\/li>\n                <li><a href=\"#germany-s-national-side-is-drawn-abroad-again\">Germany's national side is drawn abroad again<\/a><\/li>\n                <li><a href=\"#france-argentina-and-brazil-top-of-the-table-for-players-abroad\">France, Argentina and Brazil: top of the table for players abroad<\/a><\/li>\n                <li><a href=\"#after-bosman-european-club-football-goes-global\">After Bosman: European club football goes global<\/a><\/li>\n                <li><a href=\"#europe-s-five-major-leagues-compared\">Europe's five major leagues compared<\/a><\/li>\n                <li><a href=\"#what-the-2026-world-cup-tells-us-about-a-globalised-world\">What the 2026 World Cup tells us about a globalised world<\/a><\/li>\n                <li><a href=\"#all-48-nations\">In detail: all 48 nations of the 2026 World Cup<\/a><\/li>\n                <li><a href=\"#methodology\">Methodology<\/a><\/li>\n            <\/ul>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<section class=\"dp-chapter\" id=\"background-how-the-bosman-ruling-opened-football-s-labour-market\" style=\"background:var(--dp-chapter-bg-b);\">\n    <div class=\"dp-chapter-inner\">\n        <span class=\"chapter-number\">Chapter 1<\/span>\n        <h2>Background: How the Bosman ruling opened football's labour market<\/h2>\n        <p>Bulgaria's World Cup heroes, Hristo Stoichkov and Yordan Lechkov, played for FC Barcelona and Hamburger SV, respectively, in 1994. They were players based abroad, not contracted to clubs in their home country. Until the mid-1990s, that was far from the norm.<\/p>\n        <p>National leagues and UEFA's European competitions enforced the \"3+2\" rule, which limited each team on the pitch to no more than three foreign players, plus two \"assimilated\" players who had spent years in the country.<\/p>\n        <p>The Bosman ruling of the European Court of Justice, handed down on 15 December 1995, ended that system. It established that professional athletes enjoy the same rights as any other worker. Hamburger SV could, in principle, field eleven Bulgarian or Brazilian players today.<\/p>\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<section class=\"dp-chapter\" id=\"most-world-cup-players-now-ply-their-trade-abroad\" style=\"background:var(--dp-chapter-bg-a);\">\n    <div class=\"dp-chapter-inner\">\n        <span class=\"chapter-number\">Chapter 2<\/span>\n        <h2>Most World Cup players now ply their trade abroad<\/h2>\n        <p>The liberalisation of European football has, over the past three decades, drawn ever more top players abroad. In World Cup squads, the share of players based at foreign clubs has risen from 26% in 1990 to 72% in 2026.<\/p>\n        <p>A player counts as \"based abroad\" here if, according to <a href=\"http:\/\/transfermarkt.de\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">transfermarkt.de<\/a> data, they were contracted to a club outside their national team's country at the time of the respective World Cup. In 1990, for example, Lothar Matth\u00e4us and J\u00fcrgen Klinsmann played for Inter Milan. In this year's German squad, Antonio R\u00fcdiger of Real Madrid and Florian Wirtz of Liverpool are among the prominent names abroad.<\/p>\n        <div class=\"dp-chart\">\n            <iframe title=\"More and more World Cup players are based abroad\" aria-label=\"More and more World Cup players are based abroad\" src=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/FNimh\/1\/?dark=true\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"width:0;min-width:100% !important;border:none;\" height=\"520\" data-external=\"1\"><\/iframe>\n            <noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/FNimh\/full.png\" alt=\"More and more World Cup players are based abroad\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;\"><\/noscript>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<section class=\"dp-chapter\" id=\"the-english-spanish-and-italians-tend-to-stay-home\" style=\"background:var(--dp-chapter-bg-b);\">\n    <div class=\"dp-chapter-inner\">\n        <span class=\"chapter-number\">Chapter 3<\/span>\n        <h2>The English, Spanish and Italians tend to stay home<\/h2>\n        <p>The trend toward more World Cup players at foreign clubs holds regardless of the starting point, but there are striking differences.<\/p>\n        <p>At the 1998 World Cup, not a single Spanish or English player was based abroad; every one was contracted to a club in their domestic league. By 2026, the share playing abroad has risen to 19% for England and 35% for Spain.<\/p>\n        <div class=\"dp-chart\">\n            <iframe title=\"The strongest leagues keep their stars closer to home\" aria-label=\"The strongest leagues keep their stars closer to home\" src=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/6cFoc\/1\/?dark=true\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"width:0;min-width:100% !important;border:none;\" height=\"520\" data-external=\"1\"><\/iframe>\n            <noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/6cFoc\/full.png\" alt=\"The strongest leagues keep their stars closer to home\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;\"><\/noscript>\n        <\/div>\n        <p>In England's and Spain's national teams, the share of players abroad is comparatively low. One explanation: England has, by UEFA's five-year ranking, the strongest league in the world. Spain ranks third, narrowly behind Italy. Naturally, the best clubs in the best leagues also hold on to a large share of their home-grown talent.<\/p>\n        <p>The make-up of Italy's national team supports this thesis too, at least up to 2014, when the Azzurri last qualified for a World Cup.<\/p>\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<section class=\"dp-chapter\" id=\"germany-s-national-side-is-drawn-abroad-again\" style=\"background:var(--dp-chapter-bg-a);\">\n    <div class=\"dp-chapter-inner\">\n        <span class=\"chapter-number\">Chapter 4<\/span>\n        <h2>Germany's national side is drawn abroad again<\/h2>\n        <p>Germany offers a telling picture: after the surprise quarter-final exit of 1994, the share of players based abroad fell steadily. At the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, every German international played for a German club. Since then, however, the team has internationalised again, with German players increasingly drawn abroad. Compared with all World Cup participants, though, Germany's share of foreign-based players remains relatively low.<\/p>\n        <div class=\"dp-chart\">\n            <iframe title=\"Germany: more players abroad again\" aria-label=\"Germany: more players abroad again\" src=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/8TPlM\/2\/?dark=true\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"width:0;min-width:100% !important;border:none;\" height=\"520\" data-external=\"1\"><\/iframe>\n            <noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/8TPlM\/full.png\" alt=\"Germany: more players abroad again\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;\"><\/noscript>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<section class=\"dp-chapter\" id=\"france-argentina-and-brazil-top-of-the-table-for-players-abroad\" style=\"background:var(--dp-chapter-bg-b);\">\n    <div class=\"dp-chapter-inner\">\n        <span class=\"chapter-number\">Chapter 5<\/span>\n        <h2>France, Argentina and Brazil: top of the table for players abroad<\/h2>\n        <p>France, home to the world's fifth-strongest league, has a foreign-based share of 69% this year. After all, the French, led by Kylian Mbapp\u00e9, lifted the trophy in 2018 and were beaten only on penalties by Argentina four years ago.<\/p>\n        <p>For countries like Argentina and Brazil, where a large share of the best players already moved abroad before the Bosman ruling, the figure remains high (Argentina 92%, Brazil 73%). European clubs recruit far more than just superstars like Messi or Vin\u00edcius J\u00fanior.<\/p>\n        <div class=\"dp-chart\">\n            <iframe title=\"France, Argentina, Brazil: peak shares of players abroad\" aria-label=\"France, Argentina, Brazil: peak shares of players abroad\" src=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/vGb7I\/1\/?dark=true\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"width:0;min-width:100% !important;border:none;\" height=\"520\" data-external=\"1\"><\/iframe>\n            <noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/vGb7I\/full.png\" alt=\"France, Argentina, Brazil: peak shares of players abroad\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;\"><\/noscript>\n        <\/div>\n        <p>These exports are nothing new. Back in 2002, at Brazil's most recent World Cup triumph, the majority of the squad was already based abroad: that year, the Brazilians beat Germany in Yokohama, Japan. South Korea, meanwhile, is the only Asian side to have qualified for each of the last ten World Cups. In 1990, the South Korean squad consisted entirely of players in the country's top division. This year, only around 27% play at home. South Korea's squad illustrates the overall trend toward internationalisation especially clearly:<\/p>\n        <div class=\"dp-chart\">\n            <iframe title=\"South Korea&#x27;s top players are now in demand worldwide\" aria-label=\"South Korea&#x27;s top players are now in demand worldwide\" src=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/2U9mE\/1\/?dark=true\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"width:0;min-width:100% !important;border:none;\" height=\"520\" data-external=\"1\"><\/iframe>\n            <noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/2U9mE\/full.png\" alt=\"South Korea&#x27;s top players are now in demand worldwide\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;\"><\/noscript>\n        <\/div>\n        <p>Looking across all eight World Cup nations, the same trend toward internationalisation appears, if to differing degrees: most dramatically in South Korea, most stably in Germany and England.<\/p>\n        <div class=\"dp-chart\">\n            <iframe title=\"Eight World Cup nations compared\" aria-label=\"Eight World Cup nations compared\" src=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/eVoR7\/1\/?dark=true\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"width:0;min-width:100% !important;border:none;\" height=\"520\" data-external=\"1\"><\/iframe>\n            <noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/eVoR7\/full.png\" alt=\"Eight World Cup nations compared\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;\"><\/noscript>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<section class=\"dp-chapter\" id=\"after-bosman-european-club-football-goes-global\" style=\"background:var(--dp-chapter-bg-a);\">\n    <div class=\"dp-chapter-inner\">\n        <span class=\"chapter-number\">Chapter 6<\/span>\n        <h2>After Bosman: European club football goes global<\/h2>\n        <p>What is true of World Cup squads over recent decades also holds for club squads in Europe's five major leagues (England, Italy, Spain, Germany, France): football is becoming ever more international. In 1990, fewer than a quarter of players at these clubs came from abroad or had a migration background (i.e. they hold a non-domestic nationality or were born abroad). Today, almost three-quarters of them do.<\/p>\n        <p>The chart below shows this rise among the top players (who, in at least one of three criteria, ranked in the top 5% of their league in a season: goals per match, goals per minute played, or minutes played per match), and across full squads, the figures are practically the same.<\/p>\n        <div class=\"dp-chart\">\n            <iframe title=\"Three in four top players in Europe&#x27;s major leagues now come from abroad or have a migration background\" aria-label=\"Three in four top players in Europe&#x27;s major leagues now come from abroad or have a migration background\" src=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/CIdmY\/1\/?dark=true\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"width:0;min-width:100% !important;border:none;\" height=\"520\" data-external=\"1\"><\/iframe>\n            <noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/CIdmY\/full.png\" alt=\"Three in four top players in Europe&#x27;s major leagues now come from abroad or have a migration background\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;\"><\/noscript>\n        <\/div>\n        <p>The biggest jump came between 1995 and 1997, immediately after the Bosman ruling: the share of players with a foreign or migration background rose by 16 percentage points. Since 1997, average growth has settled at about one percentage point per year.<\/p>\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<section class=\"dp-chapter\" id=\"europe-s-five-major-leagues-compared\" style=\"background:var(--dp-chapter-bg-b);\">\n    <div class=\"dp-chapter-inner\">\n        <span class=\"chapter-number\">Chapter 7<\/span>\n        <h2>Europe's five major leagues compared<\/h2>\n        <p>England's Premier League has by far the strongest growth in players with a foreign or migration background since 1990 and remains one of the most open leagues in Europe.<\/p>\n        <p>France's Ligue 1 currently holds top spot, at 88%. Italy's Serie A and Germany's Bundesliga follow almost level, at around 73%. The Bundesliga, however, showed a long maturing phase after an early boom: it first crossed the 60% mark back in 2002. In Italy, this share stood at just 35% at that point; the growth trend that continues to this day only began in 2007.<\/p>\n        <p>The most \"national\" league of the five is Spain's La Liga, where the share of players with a foreign or migration background recently reached 45%, only four percentage points more than in the post-Bosman year of 1997.<\/p>\n        <div class=\"dp-chart\">\n            <iframe title=\"Europe&#x27;s five major leagues compared\" aria-label=\"Europe&#x27;s five major leagues compared\" src=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/9J8UC\/1\/?dark=true\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"width:0;min-width:100% !important;border:none;\" height=\"520\" data-external=\"1\"><\/iframe>\n            <noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/9J8UC\/full.png\" alt=\"Europe&#x27;s five major leagues compared\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;\"><\/noscript>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<section class=\"dp-chapter\" id=\"what-the-2026-world-cup-tells-us-about-a-globalised-world\" style=\"background:var(--dp-chapter-bg-a);\">\n    <div class=\"dp-chapter-inner\">\n        <span class=\"chapter-number\">Chapter 8<\/span>\n        <h2>What the 2026 World Cup tells us about a globalised world<\/h2>\n        <p>This short excursion into football history makes one thing very clear: since the shock of that 1994 summer in the USA, the sport has become not just more international but fundamentally more global. The European labour market was liberalised, and football's most skilled workers went where the best jobs were. Three decades on, the result is a game whose clubs and squads span the entire world.<\/p>\n        <p>The same trend is reflected in national teams. World Cup squads have featured ever more players based abroad since 1990, across every country. The exceptions are, above all, the nations with the strongest leagues that can keep a share of their talent at home.<\/p>\n\n        <link rel=\"preconnect\" href=\"https:\/\/fonts.googleapis.com\"><link rel=\"preconnect\" href=\"https:\/\/fonts.gstatic.com\" crossorigin><link href=\"https:\/\/fonts.googleapis.com\/css2?family=Kumbh+Sans:wght@400;500;600;700;800&display=swap\" rel=\"stylesheet\">\n        <div id=\"sc-callout\" class=\"dp-embed\">\n        <style>\n        #sc-callout {\n            --fa-purple:        #7178CE;\n            --fa-purple-deep:   #5D60C4;\n            --fa-purple-light:  #BC78F6;\n            --fa-indigo:        #7D78F6;\n            --fa-coral:         #FF4F42;\n            --fa-bg-soft:       rgba(113,120,206,0.10);\n            --fa-text:          #FFFFFF;\n            --fa-text-muted:    #B8B8B8;\n            --fa-border:        rgba(255,255,255,0.08);\n          }\n        #sc-callout * { box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0; padding: 0; }\n        #sc-callout {\n            font-family: 'Kumbh Sans', system-ui, -apple-system, Segoe UI, sans-serif;\n            color: var(--fa-text);\n            background: #0A0A0A;\n            padding: 32px 16px;\n            line-height: 1.45;\n            -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;\n          }\n        #sc-callout .callout {\n            max-width: 760px;\n            margin: 0 auto;\n            background: linear-gradient(180deg, var(--fa-bg-soft) 0%, #0F0F0F 100%);\n            border: 1px solid var(--fa-border);\n            border-radius: 16px;\n            padding: 32px 28px 24px;\n          }\n        #sc-callout .callout__eyebrow {\n            font-size: 12px;\n            font-weight: 700;\n            letter-spacing: 0.08em;\n            text-transform: uppercase;\n            color: var(--fa-purple);\n            margin-bottom: 8px;\n          }\n        #sc-callout .callout__title {\n            font-size: 22px;\n            font-weight: 800;\n            line-height: 1.2;\n            color: var(--fa-text);\n            margin-bottom: 6px;\n          }\n        #sc-callout .callout__sub {\n            font-size: 14px;\n            color: var(--fa-text-muted);\n            margin-bottom: 24px;\n          }\n        #sc-callout .grid {\n            display: grid;\n            grid-template-columns: repeat(3, 1fr);\n            gap: 12px;\n          }\n        #sc-callout .stat {\n            background: #141414;\n            border: 1px solid var(--fa-border);\n            border-radius: 12px;\n            padding: 18px 16px 14px;\n            display: flex;\n            flex-direction: column;\n            justify-content: space-between;\n            min-height: 132px;\n            transition: transform 160ms ease, box-shadow 160ms ease, border-color 160ms ease;\n          }\n        #sc-callout .stat:hover {\n            transform: translateY(-2px);\n            box-shadow: 0 6px 18px rgba(113, 120, 206, 0.20);\n            border-color: rgba(113, 120, 206, 0.40);\n          }\n        #sc-callout .stat__country {\n            font-size: 13px;\n            font-weight: 600;\n            color: var(--fa-text-muted);\n            letter-spacing: 0.01em;\n            display: flex;\n            align-items: center;\n            gap: 6px;\n          }\n        #sc-callout .stat__flag {\n            font-size: 16px;\n            line-height: 1;\n          }\n        #sc-callout .stat__number {\n            font-size: 40px;\n            font-weight: 800;\n            line-height: 1.05;\n            color: var(--fa-purple);\n            margin: 6px 0 2px;\n            font-variant-numeric: tabular-nums;\n            letter-spacing: -0.02em;\n          }\n        #sc-callout .stat__label {\n            font-size: 12px;\n            color: var(--fa-text-muted);\n            font-weight: 500;\n          }\n        #sc-callout .stat--out {\n            background: #141414;\n            border-color: rgba(255, 79, 66, 0.35);\n          }\n        #sc-callout .stat--out .stat__number {\n            font-size: 16px;\n            font-weight: 700;\n            color: var(--fa-coral);\n            line-height: 1.3;\n            letter-spacing: 0;\n            margin-top: 8px;\n          }\n        #sc-callout .stat--out .stat__label {\n            color: var(--fa-coral);\n            font-weight: 600;\n          }\n        #sc-callout .stat--extreme .stat__number {\n            color: var(--fa-purple-light);\n          }\n        #sc-callout .callout__footer {\n            margin-top: 18px;\n            padding-top: 14px;\n            border-top: 1px solid var(--fa-border);\n            font-size: 11px;\n            color: var(--fa-text-muted);\n            line-height: 1.5;\n          }\n        #sc-callout .callout__footer strong { color: var(--fa-text); font-weight: 600; }\n        @media (max-width: 640px) {\n            #sc-callout .grid { grid-template-columns: repeat(2, 1fr); }\n            #sc-callout .callout__title { font-size: 20px; }\n            #sc-callout .stat__number { font-size: 34px; }\n          }\n        @media (max-width: 420px) {\n            #sc-callout .grid { grid-template-columns: 1fr; gap: 10px; }\n            #sc-callout .stat { min-height: auto; padding: 14px 16px; }\n            #sc-callout .callout { padding: 24px 20px 20px; border-radius: 12px; }\n          }\n        <\/style>\n        <div class=\"callout\">\n          <div class=\"callout__eyebrow\">World Cup 2026 in numbers<\/div>\n          <h2 class=\"callout__title\">Share of players abroad in World Cup squads<\/h2>\n          <p class=\"callout__sub\">What share of national-team players are under contract at a foreign club in 2026<\/p>\n\n          <div class=\"grid\">\n\n            <div class=\"stat stat--extreme\">\n              <div class=\"stat__country\"><span class=\"stat__flag\">\ud83c\udde8\ud83c\udded<\/span>Switzerland<\/div>\n              <div>\n                <div class=\"stat__number\">92%<\/div>\n                <div class=\"stat__label\">players abroad<\/div>\n              <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n\n            <div class=\"stat\">\n              <div class=\"stat__country\"><span class=\"stat__flag\">\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddf7<\/span>Argentina<\/div>\n              <div>\n                <div class=\"stat__number\">92%<\/div>\n                <div class=\"stat__label\">players abroad<\/div>\n              <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n\n            <div class=\"stat\">\n              <div class=\"stat__country\"><span class=\"stat__flag\">\ud83c\udde7\ud83c\uddf7<\/span>Brazil<\/div>\n              <div>\n                <div class=\"stat__number\">73%<\/div>\n                <div class=\"stat__label\">players abroad<\/div>\n              <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n\n            <div class=\"stat\">\n              <div class=\"stat__country\"><span class=\"stat__flag\">\ud83c\uddf0\ud83c\uddf7<\/span>South Korea<\/div>\n              <div>\n                <div class=\"stat__number\">73%<\/div>\n                <div class=\"stat__label\">players abroad<\/div>\n              <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n\n            <div class=\"stat\">\n              <div class=\"stat__country\"><span class=\"stat__flag\">\ud83c\uddeb\ud83c\uddf7<\/span>France<\/div>\n              <div>\n                <div class=\"stat__number\">69%<\/div>\n                <div class=\"stat__label\">players abroad<\/div>\n              <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n\n            <div class=\"stat\">\n              <div class=\"stat__country\"><span class=\"stat__flag\">\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddf8<\/span>Spain<\/div>\n              <div>\n                <div class=\"stat__number\">35%<\/div>\n                <div class=\"stat__label\">players abroad<\/div>\n              <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n\n            <div class=\"stat\">\n              <div class=\"stat__country\"><span class=\"stat__flag\">\ud83c\udde9\ud83c\uddea<\/span>Germany<\/div>\n              <div>\n                <div class=\"stat__number\">27%<\/div>\n                <div class=\"stat__label\">players abroad<\/div>\n              <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n\n            <div class=\"stat\">\n              <div class=\"stat__country\"><span class=\"stat__flag\">\ud83c\udff4\udb40\udc67\udb40\udc62\udb40\udc65\udb40\udc6e\udb40\udc67\udb40\udc7f<\/span>England<\/div>\n              <div>\n                <div class=\"stat__number\">19%<\/div>\n                <div class=\"stat__label\">players abroad<\/div>\n              <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n\n            <div class=\"stat stat--out\">\n              <div class=\"stat__country\"><span class=\"stat__flag\">\ud83c\uddee\ud83c\uddf9<\/span>Italy<\/div>\n              <div>\n                <div class=\"stat__number\">Did not qualify<\/div>\n                <div class=\"stat__label\">3rd time in a row<\/div>\n              <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n\n          <\/div>\n\n          <div class=\"callout__footer\">\n            <strong>Selection:<\/strong> The eight nations shown in the panel chart, plus Switzerland. <strong>Source:<\/strong> Official 2026 World Cup squads \u00b7 transfermarkt.de \u00b7 Analysis: Finalarm &amp; DataPulse Research\n          <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n\n        <p>That the 2026 World Cup returns to the United States closes a circle. Three decades of Bosman have produced a sport more globalised than almost any other industry, and national teams in which three of every four players now work for a foreign club. Anyone following the 2026 World Cup is watching not only the best footballers in the world but also looking into a world where talent, dreams and shirts have long since stopped recognising borders.<\/p>\n        <p>One last question: can the data predict a World Cup winner? Sadly, no. Lately, teams stacked with players abroad have done well, but before them, so did the Spanish and Italians who prefer to play in their home leagues. There is, however, one thing the data can tell us for certain: Bulgaria, the side that stunned the favourites in 1994, did not even qualify for 2026.<\/p>\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<section class=\"dp-chapter\" id=\"all-48-nations\" style=\"background:var(--dp-chapter-bg-b);\">\n    <div class=\"dp-chapter-inner\">\n        <span class=\"chapter-number\">Chapter 9<\/span>\n        <h2>In detail: all 48 nations of the 2026 World Cup<\/h2>\n        <p>For those who want the full picture: here are all 48 World Cup participants compared directly, sortable by Top 10, Bottom 10 or the major footballing nations.<\/p>\n        <div class=\"dp-wmr\" style=\"margin:18px 0\">\n        \n<div id=\"dp-wmr-en\" class=\"dp-wmr-inline\" style=\"margin:0\">\n<style>\n#dp-wmr-en, #dp-wmr-en {margin:0}\n#dp-wmr-en {padding:8px 12px 16px}\n#dp-wmr-en #wm-ranking {\n    --fa-purple:        #7178CE;\n    --fa-purple-deep:   #5b62c0;\n    --fa-purple-light:  #9aa0e0;\n    --fa-purple-muted:  #565b9e;\n    --fa-coral:         #FF4F42;\n    --fa-bg-soft:       #1c1c24;\n    --fa-text:          #FFFFFF;\n    --fa-text-muted:    #B8B8B8;\n    --fa-border:        rgba(255,255,255,0.12);\n    --fa-chip-bg:       #17171c;\n    --fa-chip-active:   #7178CE;\n  }\n#dp-wmr-en #wm-ranking * { box-sizing: border-box; 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}\n#dp-wmr-en #wm-ranking .row__barwrap {\n    background: rgba(255,255,255,0.08);\n    height: 18px;\n    border-radius: 4px;\n    overflow: hidden;\n    position: relative;\n  }\n#dp-wmr-en #wm-ranking .row__bar {\n    height: 100%;\n    background: var(--fa-purple-muted);\n    border-radius: 4px 0 0 4px;\n    transition: width 480ms cubic-bezier(.22,.61,.36,1), background 200ms ease;\n  }\n#dp-wmr-en #wm-ranking .row--panel .row__bar { background: var(--fa-purple); }\n#dp-wmr-en #wm-ranking .row--dnq    .row__bar { background: repeating-linear-gradient(45deg, rgba(255,255,255,0.12) 0 6px, rgba(255,255,255,0.03) 6px 12px); }\n#dp-wmr-en #wm-ranking .row__value {\n    font-size: 13px;\n    font-weight: 700;\n    color: var(--fa-text);\n    font-variant-numeric: tabular-nums;\n    text-align: right;\n  }\n#dp-wmr-en #wm-ranking .row--panel .row__value { color: var(--fa-purple); }\n#dp-wmr-en #wm-ranking .row--dnq   .row__value { color: var(--fa-text-muted); font-weight: 500; font-size: 11px; }\n#dp-wmr-en #wm-ranking .legend {\n    margin-top: 16px;\n    display: flex;\n    flex-wrap: wrap;\n    gap: 14px;\n    font-size: 12px;\n    color: var(--fa-text-muted);\n  }\n#dp-wmr-en #wm-ranking .legend__item { display: flex; align-items: center; gap: 6px; }\n#dp-wmr-en #wm-ranking .legend__sw {\n    display: inline-block;\n    width: 14px; height: 10px; border-radius: 3px;\n  }\n#dp-wmr-en #wm-ranking .legend__sw--panel { background: var(--fa-purple); }\n#dp-wmr-en #wm-ranking .legend__sw--other { background: var(--fa-purple-muted); }\n#dp-wmr-en #wm-ranking .legend__sw--dnq { background: repeating-linear-gradient(45deg, rgba(255,255,255,0.18) 0 4px, rgba(255,255,255,0.04) 4px 8px); border: 1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.12); }\n#dp-wmr-en #wm-ranking .card__footer {\n    margin-top: 14px;\n    padding-top: 14px;\n    border-top: 1px solid var(--fa-border);\n    font-size: 11px;\n    color: var(--fa-text-muted);\n    line-height: 1.55;\n  }\n#dp-wmr-en #wm-ranking .card__footer strong { color: var(--fa-text); font-weight: 600; }\n@media (max-width: 560px){#dp-wmr-en #wm-ranking .card { padding: 22px 18px 18px; }\n#dp-wmr-en #wm-ranking .card__title { font-size: 19px; }\n#dp-wmr-en #wm-ranking .row { grid-template-columns: 128px 1fr 52px; gap: 8px; }\n#dp-wmr-en #wm-ranking .row__flag { font-size: 14px; }\n#dp-wmr-en #wm-ranking .row__label { font-size: 12px; }\n#dp-wmr-en #wm-ranking .row__value { font-size: 12px; }\n#dp-wmr-en #wm-ranking .chip { font-size: 12px; padding: 7px 12px; }\n}\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"wm-ranking\" class=\"dp-embed\">\n<div class=\"card\" id=\"alle-48-nationen\">\n  <div class=\"card__eyebrow\">World Cup 2026 in numbers<\/div>\n  <h2 class=\"card__title\">How heavily World Cup teams rely on players abroad<\/h2>\n  <p class=\"card__sub\">Share of World Cup squad players under contract at a club outside their home country.<\/p>\n\n  <div class=\"pullquote\">\n    Only <strong>19%<\/strong> of England's national-team players play abroad. In <strong>Argentina<\/strong>, it is <strong>92%<\/strong>.\n  <\/div>\n\n  <div class=\"chips\" id=\"chips\">\n    <button class=\"chip is-active\" data-filter=\"all\">All 48<\/button>\n    <button class=\"chip\" data-filter=\"top10\">Top 10 <span class=\"chip__count\">highest<\/span><\/button>\n    <button class=\"chip\" data-filter=\"bottom10\">Bottom 10 <span class=\"chip__count\">lowest<\/span><\/button>\n    <button class=\"chip\" data-filter=\"panel\">Major footballing nations<\/button>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <div class=\"meta\">\n    <div class=\"meta__count\"><strong id=\"visibleCount\">48<\/strong> of 48 nations<\/div>\n    <div id=\"rangeNote\">4 % \u2013 100 %<\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <div class=\"chart\" id=\"chart\"><\/div>\n\n  <div class=\"legend\">\n    <div class=\"legend__item\"><span class=\"legend__sw legend__sw--panel\"><\/span>Featured in the article<\/div>\n    <div class=\"legend__item\"><span class=\"legend__sw legend__sw--other\"><\/span>Other World Cup participants<\/div>\n    <div class=\"legend__item\"><span class=\"legend__sw legend__sw--dnq\"><\/span>Did not qualify<\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <div class=\"card__footer\">\n    <strong>Source:<\/strong> transfermarkt.de \u00b7 <strong>Player selection:<\/strong> official 2026 World Cup squads (26 players per nation, as of tournament start). <strong>Analysis:<\/strong> Finalarm &amp; DataPulse Research. <strong>Note:<\/strong> Italy failed to qualify for the third time in a row and therefore appears only in the \"Major footballing nations\" filter as a reference.\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<script>\n  const PANEL = new Set(['Germany','England','France','Spain','Argentina','Brazil','South Korea','Italy']);\n\n  const FLAG = {\n    'Switzerland':'\ud83c\udde8\ud83c\udded','Bosnia & Herz.':'\ud83c\udde7\ud83c\udde6','Haiti':'\ud83c\udded\ud83c\uddf9','Ivory Coast':'\ud83c\udde8\ud83c\uddee',\n    'Cura\u00e7ao':'\ud83c\udde8\ud83c\uddfc','Sweden':'\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\uddea','Uruguay':'\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddfe','Cape Verde':'\ud83c\udde8\ud83c\uddfb','Senegal':'\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\uddf3',\n    'DR Congo':'\ud83c\udde8\ud83c\udde9','Ghana':'\ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udded','Paraguay':'\ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\uddfe','Ecuador':'\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\udde8','Netherlands':'\ud83c\uddf3\ud83c\uddf1',\n    'Norway':'\ud83c\uddf3\ud83c\uddf4','Argentina':'\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddf7','Austria':'\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddf9','Algeria':'\ud83c\udde9\ud83c\uddff','Colombia':'\ud83c\udde8\ud83c\uddf4',\n    'Croatia':'\ud83c\udded\ud83c\uddf7','Morocco':'\ud83c\uddf2\ud83c\udde6','Brazil':'\ud83c\udde7\ud83c\uddf7','Australia':'\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddfa','Japan':'\ud83c\uddef\ud83c\uddf5',\n    'Belgium':'\ud83c\udde7\ud83c\uddea','Panama':'\ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\udde6','South Korea':'\ud83c\uddf0\ud83c\uddf7','Canada':'\ud83c\udde8\ud83c\udde6','Tunisia':'\ud83c\uddf9\ud83c\uddf3',\n    'New Zealand':'\ud83c\uddf3\ud83c\uddff','France':'\ud83c\uddeb\ud83c\uddf7','Portugal':'\ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\uddf9','USA':'\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8',\n    'Jordan':'\ud83c\uddef\ud83c\uddf4','Iraq':'\ud83c\uddee\ud83c\uddf6','Uzbekistan':'\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddff','Mexico':'\ud83c\uddf2\ud83c\uddfd','Czechia':'\ud83c\udde8\ud83c\uddff',\n    'T\u00fcrkiye':'\ud83c\uddf9\ud83c\uddf7','Iran':'\ud83c\uddee\ud83c\uddf7','Spain':'\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddf8','South Africa':'\ud83c\uddff\ud83c\udde6','Germany':'\ud83c\udde9\ud83c\uddea',\n    'Egypt':'\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddec','Qatar':'\ud83c\uddf6\ud83c\udde6','Saudi Arabia':'\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\udde6','Italy':'\ud83c\uddee\ud83c\uddf9',\n    \/\/ Inline SVG fallback for UK subdivision flags (emoji unreliable cross-platform)\n    'England': '<svg class=\"row__flag-svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 5 3\" aria-label=\"England\"><rect width=\"5\" height=\"3\" fill=\"#fff\"\/><rect width=\"5\" height=\"0.6\" y=\"1.2\" fill=\"#CE1124\"\/><rect width=\"0.6\" height=\"3\" x=\"2.2\" fill=\"#CE1124\"\/><\/svg>',\n    'Scotland': '<svg class=\"row__flag-svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 5 3\" aria-label=\"Scotland\"><rect width=\"5\" height=\"3\" fill=\"#0065BD\"\/><path d=\"M0,0 L5,3 M5,0 L0,3\" stroke=\"#fff\" stroke-width=\"0.6\"\/><\/svg>',\n  };\n\n  \/\/ Source data; sorted at render time (desc by pct, then alpha DE)\n  const TEAMS_RAW = [\n    {land:'Switzerland', pct:92.3},{land:'Bosnia & Herz.', pct:96.2},{land:'Haiti', pct:96.2},\n    {land:'Ivory Coast', pct:100.0},{land:'Cura\u00e7ao', pct:100.0},{land:'Sweden', pct:88.5},\n    {land:'Uruguay', pct:100.0},{land:'Cape Verde', pct:100.0},{land:'Senegal', pct:100.0},\n    {land:'DR Congo', pct:100.0},{land:'Ghana', pct:96.2},\n    {land:'Paraguay', pct:88.5},{land:'Ecuador', pct:92.3},{land:'Netherlands', pct:92.3},\n    {land:'Norway', pct:84.6},{land:'Argentina', pct:92.3},{land:'Austria', pct:88.0},\n    {land:'Algeria', pct:88.5},{land:'Colombia', pct:96.2},{land:'Croatia', pct:92.3},\n    {land:'Morocco', pct:92.3},\n    {land:'Brazil', pct:73.1},{land:'Australia', pct:80.8},{land:'Japan', pct:88.5},\n    {land:'Belgium', pct:88.5},{land:'Panama', pct:92.3},\n    {land:'South Korea', pct:73.1},{land:'Canada', pct:92.0},{land:'Tunisia', pct:76.9},\n    {land:'New Zealand', pct:69.2},{land:'France', pct:69.2},{land:'Portugal', pct:80.8},\n    {land:'Scotland', pct:69.2},{land:'USA', pct:73.1},{land:'Jordan', pct:57.7},\n    {land:'Iraq', pct:61.5},{land:'Uzbekistan', pct:42.3},{land:'Mexico', pct:53.8},\n    {land:'Czechia', pct:34.6},{land:'T\u00fcrkiye', pct:42.3},{land:'Iran', pct:34.6},\n    {land:'Spain', pct:34.6},\n    {land:'South Africa', pct:26.9},{land:'Germany', pct:26.9},\n    {land:'Egypt', pct:34.6},{land:'England', pct:19.2},\n    {land:'Qatar', pct:3.8},{land:'Saudi Arabia', pct:3.8},\n  ];\n\n  \/\/ Sort: highest % first; within ties, alphabetical (German locale)\n  const dec = new Intl.Collator('en', {sensitivity:'base'});\n  const TEAMS = [...TEAMS_RAW].sort((a,b) => (b.pct - a.pct) || dec.compare(a.land, b.land));\n\n  \/\/ Italy DNQ placeholder \u2014 only surfaced when \"Panel\" filter is on\n  const ITALY_DNQ = {land:'Italy', pct:null, dnq:true};\n\n  function fmtPct(p) {\n    if (Number.isInteger(p) || Math.abs(p - Math.round(p)) < 0.05) return Math.round(p) + '%';\n    return p.toFixed(1) + '%';\n  }\n\n  function rowsForFilter(f) {\n    if (f === 'top10')    return TEAMS.slice(0, 10);\n    if (f === 'bottom10') return TEAMS.slice(-10).reverse(); \/\/ highest of bottom first for readability\n    if (f === 'panel') {\n      const panel = TEAMS.filter(t => PANEL.has(t.land));\n      panel.push(ITALY_DNQ);\n      return panel;\n    }\n    return TEAMS;\n  }\n\n  function render(filter) {\n    const chart = document.getElementById('chart');\n    const rows = rowsForFilter(filter);\n    chart.innerHTML = '';\n    rows.forEach(t => {\n      const div = document.createElement('div');\n      let cls = 'row';\n      if (PANEL.has(t.land)) cls += ' row--panel';\n      if (t.dnq) cls += ' row--dnq';\n      div.className = cls;\n      const w = t.dnq ? 0 : Math.max(0.5, t.pct);\n      const flag = FLAG[t.land] || '';\n      div.innerHTML = `\n        <div class=\"row__label\">\n          <div class=\"row__label__inner\">\n            <span>${t.land}<\/span>\n            <span class=\"row__flag\">${flag}<\/span>\n          <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n        <div class=\"row__barwrap\"><div class=\"row__bar\" style=\"width:${w}%\"><\/div><\/div>\n        <div class=\"row__value\">${t.dnq ? 'not qual.' : fmtPct(t.pct)}<\/div>\n      `;\n      chart.appendChild(div);\n    });\n\n    document.getElementById('visibleCount').textContent = rows.filter(r => !r.dnq).length;\n    const numeric = rows.filter(r => !r.dnq).map(r => r.pct);\n    if (numeric.length) {\n      const lo = Math.min(...numeric), hi = Math.max(...numeric);\n      document.getElementById('rangeNote').textContent =\n        (lo === hi) ? fmtPct(lo) : `${fmtPct(lo)} \u2013 ${fmtPct(hi)}`;\n    }\n\n    \/\/ Trigger reflow so width transition fires\n    requestAnimationFrame(() => {\n      chart.querySelectorAll('.row__bar').forEach(b => {\n        const w = b.style.width;\n        b.style.width = '0%';\n        requestAnimationFrame(() => { b.style.width = w; });\n      });\n    });\n  }\n\n  document.getElementById('chips').addEventListener('click', e => {\n    const btn = e.target.closest('.chip');\n    if (!btn) return;\n    document.querySelectorAll('.chip').forEach(c => c.classList.remove('is-active'));\n    btn.classList.add('is-active');\n    render(btn.dataset.filter);\n  });\n\n  \/\/ Mobile-friendly default: open with Top 10 on narrow screens, full list on desktop\n  const initialFilter = window.matchMedia('(max-width: 560px)').matches ? 'top10' : 'all';\n  if (initialFilter !== 'all') {\n    document.querySelectorAll('.chip').forEach(c => c.classList.remove('is-active'));\n    document.querySelector(`.chip[data-filter=\"${initialFilter}\"]`).classList.add('is-active');\n  }\n  render(initialFilter);\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n        <noscript>\n        <table style=\"width:100%;max-width:520px;margin:16px auto;border-collapse:collapse;font-size:14px\">\n        <caption style=\"text-align:left;color:#B8B8B8;margin-bottom:8px\">Share of World Cup squad players under contract at a club outside their home country \u2013 all 2026 World Cup nations<\/caption>\n        <thead><tr><th style=\"text-align:left;border-bottom:2px solid rgba(255,255,255,.15);padding:6px;color:#fff\">Nation<\/th><th style=\"text-align:right;border-bottom:2px solid rgba(255,255,255,.15);padding:6px;color:#fff\">Share abroad<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>\n        <tbody><tr><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08)\">Cape Verde<\/td><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08);text-align:right;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums\">100%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08)\">Cura\u00e7ao<\/td><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08);text-align:right;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums\">100%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08)\">DR Congo<\/td><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08);text-align:right;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums\">100%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08)\">Ivory Coast<\/td><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08);text-align:right;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums\">100%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08)\">Senegal<\/td><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08);text-align:right;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums\">100%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08)\">Uruguay<\/td><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08);text-align:right;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums\">100%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08)\">Bosnia and Herzegovina<\/td><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08);text-align:right;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums\">96.2%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08)\">Colombia<\/td><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08);text-align:right;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums\">96.2%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08)\">Ghana<\/td><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08);text-align:right;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums\">96.2%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08)\">Haiti<\/td><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08);text-align:right;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums\">96.2%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08)\">Argentina<\/td><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08);text-align:right;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums\">92.3%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08)\">Croatia<\/td><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08);text-align:right;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums\">92.3%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08)\">Ecuador<\/td><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08);text-align:right;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums\">92.3%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08)\">Morocco<\/td><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08);text-align:right;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums\">92.3%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08)\">Netherlands<\/td><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08);text-align:right;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums\">92.3%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08)\">Panama<\/td><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08);text-align:right;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums\">92.3%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08)\">Switzerland<\/td><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08);text-align:right;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums\">92.3%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08)\">Canada<\/td><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08);text-align:right;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums\">92%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08)\">Algeria<\/td><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08);text-align:right;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums\">88.5%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08)\">Belgium<\/td><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08);text-align:right;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums\">88.5%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08)\">Japan<\/td><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08);text-align:right;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums\">88.5%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08)\">Paraguay<\/td><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08);text-align:right;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums\">88.5%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08)\">Sweden<\/td><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08);text-align:right;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums\">88.5%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08)\">Austria<\/td><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08);text-align:right;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums\">88%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08)\">Norway<\/td><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08);text-align:right;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums\">84.6%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08)\">Australia<\/td><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08);text-align:right;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums\">80.8%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08)\">Portugal<\/td><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08);text-align:right;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums\">80.8%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08)\">Tunisia<\/td><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08);text-align:right;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums\">76.9%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08)\">Brazil<\/td><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08);text-align:right;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums\">73.1%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08)\">South Korea<\/td><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08);text-align:right;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums\">73.1%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08)\">USA<\/td><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08);text-align:right;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums\">73.1%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08)\">France<\/td><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08);text-align:right;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums\">69.2%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08)\">New Zealand<\/td><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08);text-align:right;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums\">69.2%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08)\">Scotland<\/td><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08);text-align:right;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums\">69.2%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08)\">Iraq<\/td><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08);text-align:right;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums\">61.5%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08)\">Jordan<\/td><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08);text-align:right;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums\">57.7%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08)\">Mexico<\/td><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08);text-align:right;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums\">53.8%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08)\">T\u00fcrkiye<\/td><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08);text-align:right;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums\">42.3%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08)\">Uzbekistan<\/td><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08);text-align:right;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums\">42.3%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08)\">Czechia<\/td><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08);text-align:right;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums\">34.6%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08)\">Egypt<\/td><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08);text-align:right;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums\">34.6%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08)\">Iran<\/td><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08);text-align:right;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums\">34.6%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08)\">Spain<\/td><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08);text-align:right;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums\">34.6%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08)\">Germany<\/td><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08);text-align:right;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums\">26.9%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08)\">South Africa<\/td><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08);text-align:right;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums\">26.9%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08)\">England<\/td><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08);text-align:right;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums\">19.2%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08)\">Qatar<\/td><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08);text-align:right;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums\">3.8%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08)\">Saudi Arabia<\/td><td style=\"padding:4px 6px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.08);text-align:right;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums\">3.8%<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody>\n        <\/table>\n        <p style=\"font-size:12px;color:#B8B8B8\">Source: transfermarkt.de \u00b7 Official 2026 World Cup squads \u00b7 Analysis: Finalarm &amp; DataPulse Research<\/p>\n        <\/noscript>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<section class=\"dp-method\" id=\"methodology\">\n    <div class=\"dp-method-inner\">\n        <h2>Methodology<\/h2>\n        <h3>Object of study<\/h3>\n        <p>The study examines two related but opposing phenomena:<\/p>\n        <ol>\n            <li><strong>Outflow from national teams<\/strong>: the share of World Cup squad players contracted to a foreign club at the time of the respective tournament. Measures how international a country's top talent pool has become.<\/li>\n            <li><strong>Inflow into the leagues<\/strong>: the share of players with a foreign or migration background in Europe's five major leagues (Premier League, Bundesliga, Ligue 1, La Liga, Serie A). Measures how international each league's player pool has become.<\/li>\n        <\/ol>\n        <h3>Sample selection<\/h3>\n        <p><strong>National-team analysis (1990\u20132026).<\/strong> Because the number of World Cup participants nearly doubled over the observation period (24 in 1990 to 48 in 2026), a time series across all participants would be methodologically inconsistent. The analysis is therefore limited to <strong>14 nations that qualified for (almost) every World Cup in the period<\/strong>: Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Germany, England, France, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, Spain, South Korea, and the USA. All 14 nations contribute to the historical trend line (Chart 01); the 2026 value, by contrast, covers all 48 participants (see \"2026 World Cup\"). Eight of them are shown individually as small multiples in Chart 06 (Eight World Cup nations compared); the remaining six (Belgium, Mexico, Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, USA) appear only in the aggregate.<\/p>\n        <p><strong>League analysis (1990\u20132025).<\/strong> All players who made at least one appearance in a season (minutes played > 0) at the clubs of the five major European leagues. The Premier League is included from its founding in 1992.<\/p>\n        <h3>2026 World Cup<\/h3>\n        <p>For 2026, the official World Cup squads of all 48 participants are used (source: Wikipedia, Transfermarkt). The overall figure of 72% of national-team players abroad refers to all 48 participating nations. The long-run trend line (Chart 01) is based, up to 2022, on the 14 nations that qualified for (almost) every tournament, to keep the time series comparable as the field grew from 24 to 48 teams; its 2026 endpoint shows the overall value across all 48 participants.<\/p>\n        <h3>Operational definitions<\/h3>\n        <ul>\n            <li><strong>\"Player abroad\"<\/strong> (national-team player at a foreign club): a player in their country's World Cup squad contracted, at the time of the tournament, to a club outside the country of their national team.<\/li>\n            <li><strong>\"Player with a foreign or migration background\"<\/strong> (in a league): a player who holds a nationality other than that of the country of the league in which they play (dual nationals count as such), or who was born outside that country. Conversely, a player counts as \"domestic\" only if they were born in the country of their club and hold that nationality.<\/li>\n            <li><strong>\"Top player\"<\/strong> (in the top 5th percentile, used in Chart 07): a player who, in a season, ranked in the best 5% of their league on at least one of three criteria: goals per match, goals per minute played, or minutes played per match.<\/li>\n        <\/ul>\n        <h3>Aggregation across the 14 nations<\/h3>\n        <p>The national-team share of players abroad (Chart 01) is calculated as a <strong>player-weighted share<\/strong>: the sum of all players abroad across the 14 squads \u00f7 the sum of all players in the 14 squads. It is not a simple average of the country figures. Larger squads carry slightly more weight; the value corresponds to the share for a player drawn at random from the overall pool.<\/p>\n        <h3>Missing data<\/h3>\n        <p>Several nations did not qualify for every tournament in the observation period:<\/p>\n        <ul>\n            <li><strong>Italy<\/strong>: included up to 2014; excluded for 2018, 2022 and 2026 (did not qualify).<\/li>\n            <li><strong>France<\/strong>: included from 1998 (did not qualify in 1990 and 1994).<\/li>\n            <li><strong>England<\/strong>: excluded only for 1994 (did not qualify for the 1994 World Cup).<\/li>\n            <li>All other nations: included for every tournament in which they took part.<\/li>\n        <\/ul>\n        <p>Tournaments for which a nation did not qualify are excluded entirely, not imputed; the aggregate denominator therefore varies slightly between years.<\/p>\n        <h3>Limitations and caveats<\/h3>\n        <p><strong>Scope of the Bosman ruling.<\/strong> The 1995 Bosman ruling liberalised player movement <em>within<\/em> the EU. Players from non-EU states remain subject to national work-permit regimes that vary by country. The phrase \"global liberalisation\" in the article is a simplification: many of the observed changes reflect intra-EU mobility rather than a worldwide free labour market.<\/p>\n        <p><strong>Brexit effect.<\/strong> Since 2021, the Premier League has applied stricter work-permit rules for signings from non-UK countries (Governing Body Endorsement, GBE). In addition, the league's new Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) apply. These rules apply solely to the Premier League and cannot be transferred to the other four leagues.<\/p>\n        <p><strong>Baseline year 1990.<\/strong> The starting year coincides with German reunification (1990) and the early collapse of the Eastern Bloc (1989\u201391), which released Eastern European player flows independently of the Bosman ruling. Part of the early-1990s rise, therefore, reflects post-Cold-War mobility, not the Bosman ruling alone.<\/p>\n        <p><strong>Other factors.<\/strong> The rise in the share of players with a foreign or migration background over 35 years also reflects the expansion of TV rights, club spending, the globalisation of player agencies, and Gulf-state investment in European clubs. Bosman is the single most cited turning point, but it is not the only cause.<\/p>\n        <p><strong>Sample limitation.<\/strong> The long-run trend analysis covers 14 of the 24\u201348 World Cup participants per year (representative of World Cup regulars); the 2026 snapshot, by contrast, covers all 48 participants. The league analysis covers only Europe's five largest leagues, not second divisions or non-European competitions.<\/p>\n        <p><strong>Source consistency.<\/strong> The World Cup squad data come from the official tournament squads (Wikipedia, 1990\u20132026); players' nationalities and club affiliations come entirely from Transfermarkt. Consistency of player attributes across sources was checked on a sample basis but not systematically.<\/p>\n        <h3>Data sources<\/h3>\n        <ul>\n            <li>Players' place of birth, nationality and club affiliation: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.transfermarkt.de\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">transfermarkt.de<\/a><\/li>\n            <li>World Cup squads and club affiliation, 1990\u20132022: <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Category:FIFA_World_Cup_squads\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">FIFA World Cup squads on Wikipedia<\/a><\/li>\n            <li>2026 World Cup squads: <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2026_FIFA_World_Cup_squads\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">2026 FIFA World Cup squads (Wikipedia)<\/a><\/li>\n            <li>League-strength reference: <a href=\"https:\/\/theanalyst.com\/articles\/strongest-football-leagues-in-the-world-opta-power-rankings\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Opta Power Ranking: League Strength<\/a>, as of 20 May 2026<\/li>\n        <\/ul>\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<div id=\"dp-lightbox\" aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\">\n  <button class=\"dp-lb-close\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Close\">&times;<\/button>\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\" alt=\"\">\n<\/div>\n\n<script>\n(function(){\n  \/* ---- lightbox ---- *\/\n  var lb=document.getElementById('dp-lightbox'),img=lb.querySelector('img'),\n      cap=lb.querySelector('.dp-lb-close');\n  function open(src,alt){img.src=src;img.alt=alt||'';lb.classList.add('is-open');\n    lb.setAttribute('aria-hidden','false');document.body.style.overflow='hidden';}\n  function close(){lb.classList.remove('is-open');lb.setAttribute('aria-hidden','true');\n    img.src='';document.body.style.overflow='';}\n  document.addEventListener('click',function(e){\n    var z=e.target.closest('.dp-zoomable');\n    if(z){open(z.getAttribute('data-full')||z.src,z.alt);return;}\n    if(e.target===lb||e.target===cap){close();}\n  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