Notes
Like many other concepts in migration studies, "foreign-born" is a seemingly straightforward but highly complicated term. While it is an incredibly helpful metric to facilitate data analysis, it frequently overlooks historical changes, geopolitical struggles, and colonial relationships, and it cannot explain the complexities around citizenship and nationality.
Yet again, what defines a migrant, and when do we consider a foreign-born individual a local? Mesut Özil and his parents were all born and raised in Germany, yet his fallout with the German Football Federation was consistently portrayed within the confines of migration.
This data story would not be possible without the incredible database Gijs van Campenhout, Jacco van Sterkenburg, and Gijsbert Oonk put together. Finding out not only the birth places of the players, but also their parents' and grandparents' between 1930 and 2018 must have taken ages. I'm grateful for their immense contribution to migration studies and to free and accessible research.
Sources
Brindle, Ben (The Conversation). 2026. ‘How Migration Became a Key to World Cup Success’. June 5. https://doi.org/10.64628/AB.hmvpsx4d3.
Campenhout, Gijs van, Jacco van Sterkenburg, and Gijsbert Oonk. 2019. ‘Has the World Cup Become More Migratory? A Comparative History of Foreign-Born Players in National Football Teams, c. 1930-2018’. Comparative Migration Studies 7 (1): 22. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40878-019-0118-6.
Globalcit (Globalcit). n.d. ‘GLOBALCIT Citizenship Law Dataset – Modes of Acquisition of Citizenship’. Accessed 23 June 2026. https://globalcit.eu/modes-acquisition-citizenship/.
Hall, Courtney. 2012. ‘Fishing for All-Stars in a Time of Global Free Agency: Understanding FIFA Eligibility Rules and the Impact on the U.S. Men’s National Team’. Marquette Sports Law Review 23 (1): 191.
‘Morocco’s World Cup: The Diaspora Choose to Champion Their Motherland | COMPAS’. n.d. Accessed 23 June 2026. https://www.compas.ox.ac.uk/article/....
Oonk, Gijsbert. 2022a. ‘Sport and Nationality: Towards Thick and Thin Forms of Citizenship’. National Identities 24 (3): 197–215. https://doi.org/10.1080/14608944.2020.1815421.
Oonk, Gijsbert (Migrationpolicy.Org). 2022b. ‘Who Represents the Country? A Short History of Foreign-Born Athletes in the World Cup’. November 15. https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/....
‘Pride of Place: The Story behind Morocco’s World Cup Squad | COMPAS’. n.d. Accessed 23 June 2026. https://www.compas.ox.ac.uk/article/....
Van Campenhout, Gijs, Jacco Van Sterkenburg, and Gijsbert Oonk. 2018. ‘Who Counts as a Migrant Footballer? A Critical Reflection and Alternative Approach to Migrant Football Players on National Teams at the World Cup, 1930–2018’. The International Journal of the History of Sport 35 (11): 1071–90. https://doi.org/10.1080/09523367.2019.1581769.