Some things are now fixtures in the World Cup: an anthemic Shakira song, a Cinderella story involving an unlikely underdog (Croatia in 2018, and Morocco in 2022), and the perennial question of national identity — a question often asked only of European footballers of African descent.
After misfiring their penalties in France’s defeat to Argentina at the 2022 World Cup final, Black players Aurelian Tchouaméni and Kingsley Coman would have their French identity put on trial, as well as suffer online racist abuse. Mario Balotelli, the son of Ghanaian immigrants, would endure a similar experience after Italy’s group-stage exit at the 2014 World Cup.
But perhaps this hostility is best articulated in the jeering chant sung by Argentina fans against France at the 2022 World Cup, and reechoed two years later by the Argentina national team: “They play [for] France, but they are all from Angola… Their mom is Nigerian, their dad is Cameroonian.”
Variations of this rhetoric will likely surface as 48 countries slug it out at the 2026 World Cup, which will be graced by a number of African-descended European players; from returnees like England’s Bukayo Saka and France’s Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé, to debutants like Spain’s Lamine Yamal, Belgium’s Jérémy Doku, and France’s Rayan Cherki.
European players of African ancestry have played in the World Cup since the 1930s; footballers like Raoul Diagne, who has Senegalese roots and was France’s first Black player. But it was the postcolonial immigration of Africans beginning in the 1950s, in part driven by post-World War II labor shortage in former European metropoles like France and the United Kingdom, that would give rise to African-descended European players. It was in this period, in 1960, that Mozambique-born Eusébio da Silva Ferreira would migrate to Portugal, which he would represent at the 1966 World Cup, where his stellar performance earned him the Golden Boot.
The 1990s would see a surge of immigrants, as many Africans fled economic hardship and political instability. One such African was Fatima Nasraoui, Yamal’s paternal grandmother, who rode a ferry from Tangier to Spain in 1990, settling eventually in Barcelona, home to her unborn grandson’s future club.
It was also in the 1990s that this trend of postcolonial immigration would leave its indelible mark on world football, as France lifted its first World Cup on home soil with a squad composed of several African-descended players like Zinedine Zidane, Patrick Vieira and Marcel Desailly. The team would be fondly called Black-Blanc-Beur (Black-White-Arab) in praise of its ethnic diversity.
But not everyone found it praiseworthy, like the French far-right politician Jean-Marie Le Pen, who claimed the triumphant team was not truly “French,” a precursor to the kind of racist and ethno-nationalist rhetoric aimed at contemporary African-descended European players. It is telling, after all, that white players with roots outside their European nations almost never face such criticism.
But beyond racism and even the more valid concern about brain drain (as expressed by some African critics), what these criticisms reflect is a world slow to reckon with the fluidity of contemporary national identity. They also reflect the anti-immigrant vitriol that has gained prominence in recent years across Europe and North America, championed by right-wing factions like the Trump administration, whose visa restrictions on twenty-odd African nations will curtail African presence at the 2026 World Cup, which is jointly hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
African-descended European players make up some of the most extraordinary talents at the 2026 World Cup. We have put together a list of how some of them have negotiated the tensions arising from their dual, and in some cases multiple, identities:
Alexander Isak | Sweden (Eritrea)
Alexander Isak was born in Stockholm, Sweden, to Eritrean parents who fled political turmoil in their home country in the 1980s. He is widely regarded as an “ambassador” for Eritrea. “Both of these countries are my homeland, in different ways,” he said in a 2025 interview with Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet. Though the 26-year-old was brilliant for Newcastle United FC, injuries have hampered his stint at his new club Liverpool FC. Nonetheless, he remains Sweden’s most important player in their thirteenth World Cup outing.
Jérémy Doku / Belgium (Ghana)
Jérémy Doku was born in Antwerp to Ghanaian parents. “I always grew up in that culture,” Doku said in 2025. “Even outside, I had a lot of Ghanaian friends. I also speak the language [Twi], so I always try to stay as close as possible to my culture, and I think that's what makes me who I am now.” The 24-year-old has proven brilliant for Manchester City FC. As he makes his World Cup debut, he will be hoping to help Belgium claim the prize that has since eluded them.
Bukayo Saka | England (Nigeria)
Born in London to Nigerian parents, Bukayo Saka has often spoken about his Yoruba heritage, as well as frequently visited the country and funded medical operations for Nigerian children. According to him, choosing to play for England over Nigeria was “a tough decision,” adding that “it would be very strange for me to adapt to an environment that I had never been in since growing up… Hopefully Nigerian people will understand.”
Alongside teammates Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho, Saka suffered racist abuse after England’s Euro 2024 final defeat to Italy, an episode he describes as depressing but says did not “break” him. Saka, who is 24, played a significant role in Arsenal FC winning the Premier League after a 22-year drought. He is expected to be just as important to England, which seeks its first World Cup title since 1966.
Rayan Cherki | France (Algeria)
Born in Lyon, France, Rayan Cherki is of both Algerian and Italian descent. “We were closer to my mother’s family than my father’s family, which is also why we explored our Algerian roots more,” Cherki said in a 2024 interview with So Foot.
When he decided to play for France, it caused an uproar among Algerian fans, resurfacing a familiar criticism against African-descended European players. Explaining his decision, Cherki said he received no official contact from the Algerian Football Federation. The 22-year-old playmaker enjoyed a superb season with Manchester City FC and will be looking to make a name in his World Cup debut.
Ousmane Dembélé | France (Mauritania/Senegal/Mali)
Ousmane Dembélé was born in Vernon, France, to a mother of Mauritanian and Senegalese descent and a Malian father. Though he has not often spoken about his African heritage, he has gestured toward it, like when he financed the construction of a mosque in Mauritania. He also recently donated €100,000 to his ancestral home town of Wally Diantang.
The ambidextrous 29-year-old won the 2025 Ballon d’or and was crucial to helping Paris Saint Germain win its two only Champions League titles back-to-back. But he has not been as brilliant with the national team, which he will be hoping to change at this World Cup.
Kylian Mbappe | France (Cameroon/Algeria)
Born to a Cameroonian father and an Algerian mother, Kylian Mbappe was raised in Bondy, one of the Parisian banlieues that are home to many African and Caribbean immigrants. He has often acknowledged his roots, while insisting that he is fully French. In a recent interview with The Bridge podcast, though, he said that he would have chosen to play for Cameroon over Algeria, saying he feels more connection to the former.
Mbappe has criticized France’s far-right National Rally party, which until 2021 was led by Marine Le Pen, daughter of Jean-Marie Le Pen, who criticized the racial diversity of the 1998 France squad. “I don’t want to represent a country that doesn’t correspond to my values,” Mbappe said in 2024, ahead of French elections. After a disappointing season with Real Madrid, in which the 27-year-old France captain was the top goalscorer, he would be hoping for a second World Cup title, after a successful outing in 2018 and a near-miss in 2022.
Lamine Yamal | Spain (Morocco/Equatorial Guinea)
The son of a Moroccan father and an Equatorial Guinean mother, Lamine Yamal was born in Esplugues de Llobregat, a municipality in the Barcelona metropolitan area in Catalonia, Spain.
He has confessed to facing difficulty in choosing between Spain and Morocco, especially as the latter reached the semifinals at the 2022 World Cup. But he ultimately chose the former for a higher chance to win the World Cup. He has worn boots, including while playing for Spain, with the Moroccan and Guinean flags on them.
After his blistering performances helped Spain win Euro 2024, and guided FC Barcelona to successive La Liga titles, Yamal has been widely regarded as the heir to football legend Lionel Messi. He makes his World Cup debut as arguably the world’s best footballer and will be pivotal in Spain’s quest for a second title.
