The consequences of globalization: Europe abundantly supplied African teams with its cultivated talents.

2026-06-30 19:42 © AFP

Currently, at the ongoing world football championship, fans can observe a unique phenomenon.

Many players are like mercenaries for their national teams – they were born and learned the secrets of football in Europe.

A record number of footballers representing countries other than their birth country has already been recorded in the tournament – there are as many as 289, while in 2022 there were only 137.

Undoubtedly, this phenomenon has been contributed to not only by globalization but also by the expanded World Cup format from 32 to 48 teams.

The largest "supplier" of such players is France. As many as 98 tournament footballers were born in France, but only 23 of them represent the French national team itself.

The others represent countries such as Algeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Tunisia, the Maldives, Ghana, or Haiti. The Netherlands ranks second in the number of such players.

The contribution of footballers raised in Europe is also reflected in the results. As many as 83 percent of Morocco's goals in the group stage were scored by players born in Europe, 80 percent for Algeria, and 75 percent for the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

In the World Cup, Africans shine with their achievements – as many as 9 teams from the Black continent will compete in the round of 16.