Hakimi and Diaz lead… 11 Spanish players compete with other teams at the World Cup

The 2026 World Cup will feature 11 Spanish-born players representing other teams, including: There are 6 players in the Moroccan national teamMeanwhile, the rest of the players are distributed among the teams of Argentina, Ghana, Mexico, Uruguay and Ecuador.

The Spanish “AS” newspaper reports.Ibrahim Diaz’s case has received the most media attention as the Malaga-born Real Madrid striker’s decision to represent Morocco in the months leading up to Euro 2024 has been one of the biggest long-term series since his lack of a prominent role in Luis de la Fuente’s plans ultimately led to the selection of the Arab national team.

Morocco captain and PSG European champion Achraf Hakimi is present alongside Diaz as the right-back was born in Madrid and raised in Getafe, although his parents are Moroccan. Also wearing the Atlas Black shirt will be Palma de Mallorca-born Shadi Riyad, Trassa-born Ismail Saibari, Melilla-born Mohammadi and Barcelona-born Ayoub Amimon.

The name Nico Paz appears as another notable name. The Como midfielder, whose return to Real Madrid has been the subject of speculation in recent months, was born in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. However, his father, Pablo Paz, was an international player for Argentina and participated in the 1998 World Cup in France, and following his family’s example, the young player chose to represent Argentina’s national team.

Ignacy Williams, born in Bilbao and previously capped by Spain, will also be at the World Cup but a lack of opportunities has forced him to play in Ghana, his parents’ country of origin, with the Athletic Bilbao man making his first appearance for the Black Stars in 2022.

Sporting Braga player Rodrigo Zalazar was born in Albacete. He is the son of former Uruguay national team player Jose Luis Zalazar and, accordingly, he participated in the World Cup finals with Uruguay.

Mexico’s national team includes player Alvaro Fidalgo, who was born in Oviedo. The midfielder developed most of his professional career at Club America, where he lived for 6 years, conditions that allowed him to get the right to represent the Mexican national team.

Jeremy Arevalo, former Racing Santander player and rookie and current Stuttgart player, completes the list. He was born in Maliano, Cantabria, but his parents are from Ecuador. His eight goals in the first round with Racing in the second division opened the door for him to join the Ecuadorian national team last November and he has now earned a place in the World Cup squad.