Diaspora World Cup champions diversity over division
ATLANTA: When Sweden’s Yasin Ayari scored seven minutes into his World Cup debut he raised his arms in apology rather than celebration out of respect for Tunisia, where his father is from. The case of the Brighton midfielder is far from unique at a World Cup awash with players who could play for multiple nations via birth or ancestral roots. “It was a special game for me, that’s why I didn’t celebrate in the first goal because I feel a lot for the country (of Tunisia), I love this country,” said Swedish-born Ayari, who could also have represented his mother’s nation Morocco. Scouting and recruiting dual-national players has become vital to achieving success on the global stage. Nearly a quarter of the 1,248 players selected for the 2026 World Cup represent a country other than their birthplace. Morocco became the first African nation to reach a World Cup semifinal four years ago and harbor hopes of at least matching that feat in the coming weeks. During an impressive performance to hold Brazil 1-1 in their tournament opener, they became the first side in World Cup history to at one point field a full foreign-born 11.