The 2026 FIFA World Cup will see seven sets of brothers, four playing for different countries
Suspense Crime, Digital Desk : Seven sets of brothers will be competing in the FIFA World Cup 2026. Several of the pairings will represent different countries, with several more featuring in the same team-here's what to expect from family rivalries and shared ambitions in the upcoming global competition.
Seven sets of brothers will be competing in the FIFA World Cup 2026. Although some brothers will appear for different nations during the tournament, here is a list of brothers who will represent competing teams in the forthcoming global event:
Guela Doue and Desire Doue
The Doue brothers are perhaps one of the most talked-about sibling partnerships heading into the tournament. They recently came head to head during an international warm-up match in which Guela's Ivory Coast beat France 2–1. This fixture was accompanied by heartwarming pictures of the pair hugging after the final whistle.
The post also grabbed people's attention because Desire has recently become the talk of the football world as a young attacker for PSG who has recently achieved back to back trebles and could be one of the most in demand names during the summer transfer window-Desire is not a consistent starter for PSG; he also received his first call-up to the France senior squad last summer-his elder brother Guela plays as a right back for Strasbourg and has 20 caps for the Ivory Coast.
Nico and Inaki Williams
Although the brothers currently play alongside one another for Athletic Bilbao, they continue to represent different nations-Nico is a key player for Spain and is heading into the tournament as a UEFA Euro 2024 winner. The winger has scored six goals in his 30 appearances for the national side. His brother Inaki, representing Ghana, has registered two goals in 25 international appearances. The pair, who were born in Spain to Ghanaian parents, will be playing in their second World Cup after appearing in Qatar 2022.
Derrick Luckassen and Brian Brobbey
Luckassen is another player who will compete for different nations. He switched to Ghana earlier this year after coming through several age groups for the Netherlands-and has received his first senior international call-up this year. Brobbey will represent the Netherlands, and has already made 11 appearances for the national side after receiving his first senior call-up in 2023.
John and Harry Souttar
The Souttar family will be looking at opposite sides of the draw in this tournament. John will be representing Scotland and has made 24 international appearances since his debut for the country in 2016. Harry has established himself as one of Australia's most influential players since his debut for his country in 2019. The elder of the two, Harry returns to the competition having been part of the Australia squad in Qatar, John makes his tournament debut.
Here's a list of the brothers competing for the same nation:
Theo and Lucas Hernandez
The Hernandez brothers are key defensive options for Didier Deschamps. Lucas earned his first call-up for France in 2018 and won the World Cup in Russia. He will be playing in his third World Cup, after missing the 2022 edition due to injury. Theo took his brother's place in the squad, and France came second that year. As both players are left backs they are unable to be deployed at the same time, and the pair bring their wealth of club experience having played for and earned reputation for playing for a wide variety of European powerhouses like PSG and Bayern Munich, Theo has also been involved in several Real Madrid and AC Milan squads.
Juninho and Leandro Bacuna
Curacao's historical qualification for this competition brings an even greater family milestone as Leandro and his younger brother Juninho will both feature for the national side-Leandro is tied for most caps in their national side, with 72 appearances, whereas his brother Juninho is chasing 50 international appearances.
Deroy and Laros Duarte
This pairing of brothers could also be representing one nation at the upcoming tournament, however this pair are representing Cabo Verde and midfielder Deroy is two years younger than midfielder Laros, yet Deroy managed to make his international debut before his brother in 2022, with Laros representing his nation two years later.
