The Premier League at the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup in Qatar
How the world’s most watched league is impacting the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup
Competing at the FIFA World Cup is seen by most footballers as the absolute apex of the beautiful game. Drawing nations from all corners of the earth and players from some of the world’s biggest (and some of the most obscure) leagues, the tournament is the perfect platform for footballers from around the globe to showcase their talent.
Players from the English Premier League are highly accustomed to playing on one of the biggest stages, with over 1.3 billion viewers worldwide, the league is the most watched sporting league in the world.
Although the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup in Qatar has been encapsulated by a cloud of controversy since the offset, it has still provided fans with all the elements we have come to expect from the crowning jewel in the world’s most popular sport.
In this feature, we take a closer look at how the English Premier League is putting its mark on the tournament.
Dominic Mills
Published on December 7th, 2022
In this Insight:
Players at the FIFA World Cup by league
Despite FIFA increasing the number of players permitted to be selected for their national team at the FIFA World Cup to 26 (previously 23), most professional football players will never have the honour of representing their country at the infamous tournament.
Football Benchmark’s study, launched ahead of the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup in Qatar, took an in depth look at the players who were privileged enough to be selected to represent their country at the biggest footballing tournament in the world.
The study found that 831 players were selected, with over 50% of the players coming from Europe’s top five leagues: the Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A and Ligue 1.
The Premier League had the absolute highest rate of any of the leagues, with the league’s players making up for 16% of the total players at the tournament.
Players at the 2022 FIFA Men's World Cup by league
