IKOLI VICTOR
Doha
With the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 only four days away, the full squads for all 32 teams can finally be confirmed now.
The release of the 26-man lists confirms the sporting dreams of 831 players, who will all compete in the 22nd edition of the finals, which will begin on Sunday, November 20, when hosts Qatar face Ecuador at the Al-Bayt Stadium.
The Qatar Stars League will provide 33 players from the host country’s top flight league (3.9%) to the tournament. All of Felix Sanchez’s 26-man Qatar national team squad are based in Qatar.
Qatar and Saudi Arabia are the only squads to be made up entirely of domestic players. The additional seven are two players each from Iran and Tunisia, and Morocco, Ghana and South Korea one each.
Halilzadeh Shoja of Iran and his compatriot Kanani Hossein play for Al Ahli. Sassi Ferjani of Tunisia and Youssef Msakni of Al Arabi represent Al Duhail. Moroccan Benoun Badr plays for Qatar Sports Club, while Ghanaian Andre Ayew and South Korean Jung Wooyoung play for Al Sadd.
Al Sadd have the most players in a single squad, with 13 of their 15 World Cup representatives included in the hosts’ selection.
Al Sadd leads the Qatar Stars League contingent with 13 of their 15 World Cup representatives in the hosts’ selection. Bayern Munich, the German Bundesliga champions, have 17 players more than Qatar Stars League champions Al Sadd, who have 16 players each. Manchester United has 14 players, Real Madrid has 13, and Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal has the same number as Chelsea with 12 players. Tottenham Hotspur, PSG, Ajax Amsterdam, Juventus, and Atletico Madrid all have eleven players.
Premier League leaders Arsenal, as well as Sevilla, have ten players in the bracket.
With 135 of the 831 players (16%), the English Premier League will have more World Cup players than any other league on the international scene.
Spain’s LaLiga has 83, followed by Germany’s Bundesliga with 78 and Italy’s Serie A with 67.
Major League Soccer in the United States will provide 35, while the Championship, England’s second tier of professional football, will provide 25.
Except for Jude Bellingham of Borussia Dortmund, the entire England squad is based in the country.
Brazil and Portugal have 12 and 10 Premier League players, respectively, while Australia, Canada, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Tunisia are the only countries without a single player from the English top flight.
Tottenham Hotspur is the only club with players in ten squads, beating out Manchester City and Chelsea with nine each.
Tottenham players at the World Cup
Cristian Romero (Argentina)
Richarlison (Brazil)
Ivan Perisic (Croatia)
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (Denmark)
Harry Kane (England)
Eric Dier (England)
Hugo Lloris (France)
Pape Matar Sarr (Senegal)
Son Heung-min (South Korea)
Rodrigo Bentancur (Uruguay)
Ben Davies (Wales)