We Decide if You Belong: The Difficulty of Dual National Athletes at the World Cup

(Photo by Reda Benkhadra via Wikimedia Commons/CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED)

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It is rather remarkable how the World Cup reflects our globalized world. Yet, amidst its shining moment, an ugly talking point has spread regarding the number of foreign-born players present at the tournament. The 2026 Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup has 289 players representing countries they were not born in. Highlighting this fact is not the ugly talking point. 

Rather, the narratives the media and officials are creating around this fact are ugly. Media outlets have published articles titled “Born in Morocco? How many 2026 World Cup players were actually born in the North African country?” And another, “Morocco’s World Cup success powered by players born around the world.” Both titles imply that most of the team is not truly Moroccan.  

Yes, Morocco counts 19 foreign-born players, but they were born to Moroccan parents and raised with enough of an attachment to represent Morocco over Europe. In fact, the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) has made a point of scouting and contacting its diaspora, to great success. In part thanks to this strategy, as well as massive domestic investments, Morocco is challenging football’s elite. 

Suffering from Success

In 2022, Morocco became the first African country to reach a World Cup Semifinal, upsetting Belgium, Spain, and Portugal. This past World Cup, Morocco became the first African nation to make back-to-back quarterfinals, outplaying Brazil and the Netherlands. This success seems to have angered many, with some accusing Morocco of “fraud” for recruiting Moroccans born, raised and trained in Europe. 

Even Europe’s footballing elite is frustrated. Rather bitterly, Rafael Van Der Vaart, a former Netherlands international, stated “all Moroccans who aren’t good enough to play for the Netherlands end up playing for Morocco.” Morocco went on to eliminate the Netherlands with 3 Dutch-born Moroccans. 

The French Federation is said to be “disappointed to lose a highly regarded prospect like [Ayyoub] Bouaddi”. French journal Eurosport claimed Bouaddi was a “gift” from France. European media claims Morocco has a “reliance on French-born talent” and that “Spain has supplied six players.” 

These statements portray an attitude of entitlement towards African talent. France is filling its doctor shortage with highly trained African doctors. It makes sense they would not like it when an African nation returns the favour, although in a less vital sector.     

These remarks also make it seem as if Morocco was dependent on Europe for success; in fact, it’s quite the opposite. Europe’s footballing elite is increasingly reliant on dual nationals, especially from Africa. 

A New “Controversy”

In reality, dual-nationals have always been part of football. In the World Cup’s early days, players frequently played for different teams at different tournaments. Luis Monti played for Argentina in 1930 and Italy in 1934. He is the only player to have played in two World Cup Finals for different nations. 

Another Argentina legend, Alfredo Di Stéfano, played for Argentina, Colombia, and Spain. Hungary’s best-ever player, Ferenc Puskás, played for Spain after fleeing domestic repression. These are just a handful of the notable names amongst the hundreds of players who represented multiple nations until FIFA updated its rules. If a player had played one competitive match for a nation, they could represent no other. 

In 2004, multiple nations complained about Togo and Qatar naturalizing Brazilians. Responding to the protests, FIFA tightened its eligibility rules. A player now had to have a “clear connection” to the country they were representing, meaning, “a player must either have lived in a country for at least two years, or have a parent or grandparent who was born there.” 

The FIFA president at the time, Sepp Blatter, stated they enacted the change to “stop this farce”, claiming that at a World Cup, “you will have 16 [teams] full of Brazilian players.” While his comments seem harsh, they do carry a certain level of truth. Offering citizenship to foreign athletes devalues the sport’s integrity. And more importantly, it prevents the local game from developing, and domestic athletes from achieving the lifelong dream of representing their nation at the World Cup.  

New Opportunities

There was also another important rule change in 2004. FIFA allowed dual-national players who had represented one country at youth level to switch to their country at senior level. African nations immediately took advantage of this opportunity, and called up eligible players who had represented European countries at youth levels, but not at the senior level. 

This 2004 decision opened the door for hundreds of players who were previously tied to a European team. As an increasing number of players switched teams, African countries lobbied FIFA to modify the rules so that more players could play for African teams. 

The pivotal decision came in 2021. FIFA made it so that players were now only locked to a team if they “played in no more than three competitive senior games before the age of 21” and “have not played in the final stage of an official tournament such as the World Cup.” 

These changes now gave more freedom to players to play internationally. In exchange, FIFA tightened the rules defining nationality, requiring a player to live on the territory of the association for at least five years if the player has no familial link to the country. 

These changes are what prompted the discourse over African nations taking European rejects and fraudulently taking European-trained talent. But the reaction to these changes also exposed how European teams felt entitled to footballing talent, especially players with African origins. 

Football Colonialism 

Players from Europe’s African colonies helped shape the European game. Two of England’s first talents were born in Accra and Cairo. Algerian, Senegalese, and Moroccan players filled France’s squad in the 1930s. One of Portugal’s greatest players – Eusebio – was born in Mozambique. 

Two of France’s greatest ever players hail from Morocco. Juste Fontaine, the player with the most goals scored in a single World Cup, was born and raised in Marrakech. Larbi BenBarek, “the black pearl”, was born in Casablanca and starred for the French national team before and after World War II.  

Despite his exploits, BenBarek died alone, in poverty, and without French citizenship, in his native Morocco. France’s exploitation of BenBarek’s talent undeniably affected how dual-nationals decide whom to represent. Players with African origins dominate France’s current squad. 

It is after France started heavily integrating players with African origins that it saw its current footballing success. France won its first World Cup trophy in 1998 with a team brimming with French players of African origin. French journalists even coined the term “Black Blanc Beurre” – meaning “black, white, North African”. This was a play on the French flag “Bleu Blanc Rouge” – to highlight the team’s multicultural identity and the notion France was becoming a post-racial society.

Damned if You Do Damned if You Don’t 

In truth, France was miles away from a post-racial society. Jean Marie Le-Pen, a far-right politician at the time, said the team was “artificial” and did not embody French society. When France won the Euros in 2000, with essentially the same team, a national poll came out showing a third of the country thought there were “too many players of foreign origin.” 

Marine Le-Pen continued in her father’s footsteps when, in 2010, she called the national team “a collection of ethnic, religious clans that are creating a sort of apartheid within the team itself.” The Le-Pen feud with the French national team intensified in 2024 when players urged people to vote against her party because a victory would be “catastrophic.”  

These political tensions permeating into football have real consequences. Dual-national players frequently talk about the pressures and abuse they face when playing. German World Cup Winner, Mesut Özil, famously said, “I am German when we win, an immigrant when we lose.” 

Former French stars Karim Benzema and Patrice Evra echoed his comments, respectively stating, “if I score, I’m French. If I don’t score, or if there are problems, I’m Arab”, and “when you win with France, you’re a French player. When you lose, suddenly, you get your Senegal passport.”  

Their comments highlight how even if dual-nationals choose the countries they were born, raised, and trained in, they still face abuse for their immigrant identity. Despite their choice to represent and bring glory to their chosen nation, many still feel they do not belong, and it only gets worse if they fail.  

Racist Rage   

Players of immigrant and black heritage face heinous racist abuse when they underperform and their team loses. When Mbappe missed his game-deciding penalty during Euro 2020’s round of 16, “fans” hurled a vicious torrential downpour of racist abuse against him. In response, Mbappe reiterated his predecessor’s statements, saying, “I cannot play for people who think I’m a monkey. I’m not gonna play.” 

Black England players – Bukayo Saka, Jadon Sancho, and Marcus Rashford – faced the same disgusting abuse when their penalty misses led to England losing the Euro 2020 final. It happened again at this World Cup, when Black Dutch players, Justin Kluivert, Quinten Timber, and Crysencio Summerville missed their penalties in the Netherlands’ loss to Morocco. 

Sometimes players face this abuse even when they win. Lamine Yamal, Spain’s teenage sensation, celebrated his first World Cup goal with a muslim prayer. The racist deluge was almost instantaneous. “Fans” reiterated inflammatory far-right talking points about how the celebration was a sign that Spain was “losing everything that once made us great. As a Spaniard, it breaks my heart.” 

He was also criticized for wearing cleats with the Moroccan and Ecuatoguinean flags, honouring his parents’ origins. Commenters questioned if he was “truly Spanish” even though he was born and raised in Spain, has only represented Spain at any international football level or tournament, and rejected Morocco’s persistent efforts. 

(Photo by FotosLaLiga via Wikimedia Commons/CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED)

Dual national players are in what feels like an unwinnable situation. If they choose their nation of origin, they are betraying Europe and the country that trained them. But if they choose their country of birth, people will still question their identity and belonging, and racially abuse them at the slightest chance.  

Ignorance

The abuse has gotten so out of hand that it is causing international crises. After France eliminated Paraguay in the round of 16, a Paraguayan Senator hurled racist vitriol at Mbappe, who scored the game-winning goal. Luis Chilavert, Paraguay’s former goalkeeper, said France was a “squad full of Africans”, denying their French nationality. 

Before Spain’s Semi-Final clash with France, former prime minister Mariano Rajoy said that France’s football team plays “without Frenchmen.” Yamal came to his opponent’s defence, stating, “If football serves a purpose, it is to integrate into society.” It has almost become routine for people to attack this French team for having many players of African origin. 

While there is a real critique to be made about this fact, critics often choose to deny the “Europeanness” of non-white players rather than dive into a systemic critique of Europe’s colonial legacy. It is easier to insult a player of African origin playing in a European team, or a player raised in Europe playing for an African team, than it is to seriously analyze Europe’s colonial legacy and how it appears on the football field. 

Europe is still dependent on and feels entitled to African labour, and nowhere is that more visible than on the pitch. European teams are achieving unprecedented levels of success thanks to non-white players. England finished on the World Cup podium for the first time in 60 years, Spain won the World Cup after a 16-year wait, and France has consistently been a heavyweight since its 1998 “Black Blanc Beurre” victory. 

A Moroccan Remedy?

Clearly football cannot go on like this. Players’ origins and the abuse they face cannot become the story of an international tournament that is supposed to be a global celebration of a sport that unites the world. One solution is to continue to crack down on racial abuse and cease the incessant obsession over an athlete’s birthplace. 

This negative atmosphere surrounding their origin certainly contributes to an increasing number of European-born players electing to represent their country of origin over their country of birth. They know they are less likely to face racial abuse for their African origins when playing for an African team. 

Another solution is for African countries to follow in Morocco’s footsteps. 18 years ago, Morocco was languishing in Football mediocrity, but King Mohamed VI chose to do something about it. He ordered the FRMF and government to completely overhaul Moroccan football. 

The FRMF rooted out much of the corruption and clientelism that plagued Moroccan football. The King invested millions into sporting infrastructure, building thousands of public fields and a state-of-the-art training centre, humbly named the Mohammed VI Football Academy. 

(Photo by Anass Sedrati via Wikimedia Commons/CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED)

Morocco now had facilities that surpassed some European nations. Morocco’s seriousness towards the sport made it more attractive for dual-nationals to play for the African side. It also helped that the investment has created elite-level domestic talent. Morocco’s rise has now made it so that it’s no longer a shock when dual-nationals choose them over a European team.    

A Challenging Decision

While Morocco is a developing country and these investments have been substantial, the kingdom has seen some benefits. The spending has created hundreds of thousands of jobs and brought in billions of U.S. dollars in revenue. Many African nations do not have the initial capital required for such investments. 

This is where FIFA comes into play. Instead of using its billions of dollars for corruption, FIFA could finance the development of African football, modelled after Morocco. Sadly, corruption is endemic to African football, so the first step would be a wholesale cleanse of the sport. 

If other African countries would follow Morocco’s development and become attractive national teams, as many increasingly are, it would force a growing number of dual-nationals to think long and hard about who they represent. It would also challenge Europe’s reliance and entitlement towards African talent. Hopefully, when challenged, Europeans will create a more welcoming and positive atmosphere around representing them internationally.  

Edited by Isaac Code