Sports
Morocco youngest top-ranked Fifa World Cup squad, Brazil oldest: LCP study | FIFA World Cup 2026
Morocco has the youngest squad among the top 10 Fifa-ranked teams competing in this year’s World Cup, with an average age of 25.92 years and seven of its 26 players below the age of 23, according to a study by UK-based Lane Clark & Peacock (LCP).
The study, led by Amlan Roy, investment partner for global macro research at LCP, examined the macro demographics of participating countries in the ongoing tournament.
Spain follows Morocco, with an average squad age of 26.19 years. France is third at 26.58 years, while England is fourth at 26.62 years. Each team has a squad of 26 players and a coach.
Among the top 10 ranked teams, the oldest squads are from Latin America. Brazil has an average squad age of 28.65 years, followed by Argentina at 28.62 years. Argentina’s squad includes 39-year-old Lionel Messi, who has already scored five goals in two matches in the tournament.
Among all 48 teams playing in the World Cup this year, Ecuador has the youngest squad, with an average age of 25.58 years and seven players below 23.
The study also looks at which countries have the highest concentration of professional footballers and clubs, a measure that reflects not only the sport’s popularity but also the opportunities available to players.
Mexico tops the table among the 48 participating countries. It has 9,464 professional footballers and 244 professional football clubs, the highest in both categories.
Spain follows with 8,560 professional footballers, while England has 5,582. Turkey is fourth, with 3,917 professional players.
The growing popularity of football in the US is also striking, particularly because the country is one of the venues for the current World Cup. Once seen largely as the land of American football, the US now has more than 101 professional football clubs, the fourth-highest among the 48 countries. It also has 2,971 professional footballers.
Saudi Arabia, too, is flexing its football muscle. It has the third-highest number of professional football clubs among participating countries, while 1,505 players in the country have turned professional.
|
Country |
Fifa rank |
Average squad age |
Players under 23 |
|
Morocco |
8 |
25.92 |
7 |
|
Spain |
2 |
26.19 |
5 |
|
France |
1 |
26.58 |
5 |
|
England |
4 |
26.62 |
4 |
|
Belgium |
9 |
27.12 |
4 |
|
Netherlands |
7 |
27.27 |
4 |
|
Portugal |
5 |
27.54 |
5 |
|
Germany |
10 |
27.54 |
5 |
|
Argentina |
3 |
28.62 |
2 |
|
Brazil |
6 |
28.65 |
3 |
Source: LCP’s 2026 World Cup Countries’ Macro Demographics report
Mexico has the deepest professional football base
|
Country |
Professional footballers |
Professional clubs |
|
Mexico |
9,464 |
244 |
|
Spain |
8,560 |
41 |
|
England |
5,582 |
92 |
|
Turkey |
3,917 |
136 |
|
Argentina |
3,613 |
18 |
|
Sweden |
3,092 |
32 |
|
Czechia |
2,959 |
30 |
|
France |
2,906 |
47 |
|
USA |
2,791 |
101 |
|
Japan |
2,126 |
60 |
Source: LCP’s 2026 World Cup Countries’ Macro Demographics report
Football strength does not follow income rankings
|
Country |
Fifa rank |
GDP per capita rank |
What it shows |
|
France |
1 |
14 |
Strong football, rich economy |
|
Spain |
2 |
30 |
Football rank far ahead of income rank |
|
Argentina |
3 |
27 |
Football strength exceeds income rank |
|
Brazil |
6 |
29 |
Same pattern as Argentina |
|
Morocco |
8 |
38 |
Major football overperformance |
|
Switzerland |
18 |
1 |
Richest, but not top football rank |
|
USA |
16 |
3 |
High income, mid-table football rank |
|
Qatar |
38 |
5 |
High income does not imply football strength |
Source: Source: LCP’s 2026 World Cup Countries’ Macro Demographics report
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