The 2026 World Cup is set to feature seven pairs of brothers, but only three of those sibling duos will be playing for the same country.
It is one of the more unusual storylines around the tournament.
Some brothers will wear the same shirt for Curacao, France and Cape Verde, while others are split between Australia and Scotland, France and Ivory Coast, Spain and Ghana, and the Netherlands and Ghana.
Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP via Getty Images
Leandro Bacuna and Juninho Bacuna are the Curacao pair on the list.
Their place in the story carries extra weight because Curacao are heading into a landmark World Cup campaign.
Leandro Bacuna is the older brother and has been part of the national team for years. Juninho Bacuna has also been involved with Curacao after building his senior career in European football.
Theo Hernandez and Lucas Hernandez give France the most high profile same nation pairing.
Both have operated at elite level in Europe and both have been part of the France picture across recent major tournament cycles.
The third same country pair is Laros Duarte and Deroy Duarte with Cape Verde.
That is another notable case because Cape Verde are also preparing for a first World Cup appearance.
Laros Duarte and Deroy Duarte give the squad a family link in midfield during a landmark moment for the country.
The split country group is where the wider story becomes more distinctive.
Harry Souttar and John Souttar are brothers, but they arrive on different international paths.
Harry represents Australia, while John represents Scotland.
That makes their case one of the clearest examples of how family background and football eligibility can produce different World Cup routes.
Desire Doue and Guela Doue are another split pair, with France and Ivory Coast represented.
The same applies to Nico Williams and Inaki Williams, who remain the best known modern example for many supporters.
Nico represented Spain and Inaki represented Ghana at the 2022 World Cup, giving this theme recent tournament history before 2026.
Ghana also feature in the final listed split pair, with Derrick Luckassen representing them while Brian Brobbey is tied to the Netherlands.
It is a simple list on the surface, but it tells a broader World Cup story.
Some brothers will share the same anthem and the same dressing room. Others will carry the same family name into the tournament under different flags.
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