Premier League sends 163 players to World Cup 2026 as Crystal Palace outstrip Real Madrid

The Premier League has emerged as the dominant force at the 2026 World Cup, contributing 163 players to the tournament across the United States, Mexico and Canada — 60 per cent more than the next highest-supplying league, according to research by Football Benchmark.

The scale of English football’s global reach is underlined by one remarkable statistic: Crystal Palace have sent more players to the World Cup than Real Madrid. The south London club have 12 representatives at the tournament, compared to ten from the Spanish giants, who do not have a single player in Spain’s squad.

Palace’s contingent spans the globe: Jean-Philippe Mateta and Maxence Lacroix (France), Dean Henderson (England), Chris Richards (USA), Daichi Kamada (Japan), Yéremy Pino (Spain), Chadi Riad (Morocco), Daniel Muñoz and Jefferson Lerma (Colombia), Ismaïla Sarr (Senegal), Evann Guessand (Ivory Coast), and Jørgen Strand Larsen (Norway).

Manchester City lead all clubs with 19 players at the tournament, while 39 of the 48 competing nations have at least one Premier League player in their squad. England’s own squad features 20 Premier League players — 21 if Marcus Rashford is included.

That figure surpasses the domestic representation seen in other major footballing nations. Spain have 17 La Liga players in their squad, Germany 18 from the Bundesliga, France just eight from Ligue 1, and Portugal six from the Primeira Liga. Notably, the Premier League has supplied more Portuguese players to Portugal’s squad than the Portuguese top flight itself.

Premier League officials are pointing to the Elite Player Performance Plan, launched in 2012, as a driving force behind the numbers. The academy framework, now 14 years old, has helped produce players competing at the highest levels in Europe. England’s national youth teams have won six major tournaments across UEFA U17, U19, U21 and FIFA U17, U20 competitions during that period.

High-profile graduates of the English system are now starring at Europe’s biggest clubs: Harry Kane leads Bayern Munich’s attack, Jude Bellingham is a central figure at Real Madrid, and Anthony Gordon has recently joined Barcelona in a £70 million move.

Andrea Sartori, Founder and CEO of Football Benchmark, said: “The FIFA World Cup has always been football’s biggest stage but the data illustrates how much the tournament has evolved. FIFA World Cup 2026 will be the largest edition ever staged, reflecting both the growing scale of the competition and the increasing global reach of the game. From the growth in revenues and prize money to the concentration of talent within a relatively small number of clubs, leagues, and national teams, our guide to the tournament provides a unique snapshot of the state of the game.”