Record 38 players from Dutch clubs set for expanded World Cup

A record number of players from Dutch clubs will feature at the upcoming World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. A total of 33 players from the Eredivisie and five from the second division, the Keuken Kampioen Divisie, have been called up, bringing the total to 38. That is double the 19 players from Dutch clubs who took part in the 2022 tournament in Qatar. The expanded World Cup will also be the largest edition to date, with 48 teams competing.

Strikingly, the Netherlands squad features just two players from the Eredivisie, Guus Til of PSV and Wout Weghorst of Ajax, marking a sharp decline compared to previous tournaments. At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, by contrast, the Dutch squad included 12 players from clubs in the Netherlands.

Curaçao, making its World Cup debut after qualifying for the first time, has the largest contingent of players from Dutch leagues, with 12 in total. Japan ranks second, with five players coming from the Netherlands.

Alongside Haiti, represented by Ruben Providence of Almere City FC, Curaçao is the only national team to include players from the Dutch second tier. In the squad led by head coach Dick Advocaat, the Eerste Divisie-based players are Kevin Felida (FC Den Bosch), Trevor Doornbusch (VVV-Venlo), and Godfried Roemeratoe and Roshon van Eijma, both of whom played for RKC Waalwijk. The count is based on last season’s league structure.

The English Premier League is the biggest contributor of World Cup players, with 163 of the 1,248 tournament participants coming from the competition, widely seen as the strongest in world football. The Bundesliga ranks second with 101 players, while the Dutch Eredivisie comes in ninth place.

Most players in the Qatar and Saudi Arabia World Cup squads are based in their home countries. Each team features just one player who plays abroad. Qatar’s lone foreign-based player is Homam Ahmed, who plays for Spanish side Cultural Leonesa, while Saudi Arabia’s is Saud Abdulhamid of French club Lens.

Manchester City contributes the highest number of World Cup players, with 19 representatives. Bayern Munich follows closely behind, supplying 18 players.