The data used in this analysis covers the 536 players who have been selected for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland squads at men’s World Cups since 1950.
This includes all players in squad lists submitted to FIFA before each World Cup. In some cases, particularly in the 1950s and 1960s, reserve players did not travel to the tournament.
World Cup squad lists and player stats were initially gathered from the Fjelstul World Cup Database, external and then checked against other sources such as FIFA and national Football Associations.
Players’ birthplaces are based on where they were born (if known), or alternatively where they grew up.
Facts about 2026 squad members are drawn from past media interviews with the players, or people connected to them or their local area.
Player photos where available are taken from Getty Images.
Some players were born abroad but moved to the UK as a child, in which case their birthplace is listed as their UK childhood home.
Six players – England’s Owen Hargreaves, Graeme Le Saux and Tony Dorigo, plus Scotland’s Lyndon Dykes, Richard Gough and John Hewie – spent their entire childhoods abroad and are excluded from the analysis.
Reporting by Phil Leake, Yazmina Garcia, Libby Rogers, Deirdre Finnerty, Marie Jackson and Lauren Woodhead. Design by Jess Carr.
