Clubs belonging to the European Club Association (EFC) overwhelmingly supplied the player talent for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America. This dominance was detailed in a report published this week by EFC Football.
A total of 723 players from EFC member clubs participated in the 2026 World Cup. This figure represents a staggering 57.9% of all 1,248 players at the tournament. This influence deepened in the knockout stages, with EFC club players making up 81.7% of semi-final participants (85 players). In the final where Spain defeated Argentina, 45 of the 52 players (86.5%) were from EFC clubs. The new world champions, Spain, fielded a squad where 92% of players play for EFC member clubs.
Manchester City was the best-represented club at the tournament with 19 players called up by their national teams. The English club's contingent included players representing the Algeria national team, alongside those from Belgium, Croatia, Egypt, England, France, Ghana, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, and Uzbekistan. Algeria's involvement comes as the team currently sits 3rd in its qualifying group with 4 points from 3 games (1 win, 1 draw, 1 loss). Fans can track the team's standing on our standings page.
The contribution of EFC clubs went beyond mere numbers to direct on-pitch impact. There were 130 different goalscorers from 86 distinct EFC member clubs at the World Cup. Of the top 30 goal scorers in the competition, 21 play for EFC clubs. Also, 11 of the top 15 assist-makers represented EFC clubs, with Bayern Munich's Michael Olise leading the assists chart for France with seven.
The EFC and FIFA agreed on a Club Benefits Programme for the 2026 World Cup worth $355 million. This sum marks a 70% increase from the programme for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The programme compensates clubs for releasing players to national teams. For the first time, clubs are entitled to compensation for qualifying matches in addition to the final tournament itself. This creates a larger and more varied range of clubs receiving distributions from FIFA, with revenue that can be reinvested into player development, facilities, and youth academies.
This global data emerges as the Algeria national team continues its qualifying campaign. Verified live data as of 26 August 2026 shows the team has scored 5 goals and conceded 7 (a -2 goal difference). They trail group leaders Argentina by 5 points in the title race. Their last result was a 2-0 loss to Switzerland on 3 July 2026. The team's recent form over the last five matches (LDDWL) indicates areas for improvement, with full details available on our stats page. Focus now shifts to upcoming fixtures, which can be viewed on our fixtures schedule, as the team aims to build momentum.
