Morocco has become the clearest example of the model. The report says 14 players in the country’s 2022 World Cup squad were born abroad, while almost three-quarters of the projected 2026 group could come from outside Morocco.
The sporting evidence is already strong. Morocco reached the 2022 World Cup semi-finals, becoming the first African nation to reach that stage. Players developed in European academies have supplied technical quality, while family connections have given the federation access to a larger recruitment network.
Curaçao represents the extreme version of diaspora recruitment. The report says 25 of 26 players in its World Cup squad were born in the Netherlands, reflecting the island’s long-standing social and football ties with the Dutch system.
The United States has followed a broader version of the same strategy since the 1990s, identifying players with family links across Europe and the Caribbean. Sergiño Dest, born in the Netherlands and eligible for the US through his father, is a prominent example of cross-border eligibility becoming an international opportunity.
Changes to ’s eligibility framework in 2021 made switches possible in limited circumstances, including for players with up to three senior appearances who had not taken part in a major tournament. For smaller federations, that created a route to players unlikely to break into squads representing France, England or Spain.
The next test is sustainability. Morocco must show that diaspora recruitment can support another deep tournament run, while Curaçao will try to turn a Dutch-based talent pool into a lasting football structure. The next qualifying cycle will reveal whether this is a short-term advantage or the foundation of a new international hierarchy.