World Cup player distribution by league: 176 from the Premier League, 101 from the Bundesliga, 81 from La Liga, 79 from Ligue 1

All 48 team rosters for the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico have been officially announced. CBS Sports then analyzed the league affiliation of participating players. The Premier League leads with 176 players, making it the dominant league. The Bundesliga is the second league to surpass 100 players, while Serie A once again ranks at the bottom of the Big Five.

Top 10 leagues for World Cup player distribution in 2026:

1. Premier League: 176 players.
2. Bundesliga: 101 players.
3. La Liga: 81 players.
4. Ligue 1: 79 players.
5. Serie A: 66 players.
6. Saudi Pro League: 47 players.
7. Major League Soccer: 44 players.
8. Turkish Süper Lig: 39 players.
9. EFL Championship: 34 players.
10. Eredivisie: 33 players.

Aside from the Big Five leagues, the Saudi Pro League, where Cristiano Ronaldo plays, provides the most World Cup players, followed by MLS, home to Lionel Messi, ranking seventh. This shows that both Ronaldo and Messi have boosted the popularity of the Saudi league and MLS. The Championship, England's second-tier league, contributes 34 players to this World Cup, placing ninth.

It should be noted that Serie A is the weakest among the Big Five mainly because Italy has missed three consecutive World Cups. Most Italian players compete in Serie A, which would otherwise comfortably rank third in terms of World Cup player contributions.