74% of FIFA World Cup players released from European clubs

Following the official announcement of the final 23-player squads by FIFA on 4^th June 2018, ECA has conducted a study, which highlights the number and origin of clubs involved in releasing players for FIFA’s flagship tournament. The ECA Player Release Analysis is a study undertaken by ECA at the occasion of every major national team tournament.

Some of the key findings can be summarised as follows*:

• 74% of players at the tournament are registered with European clubs
• 52% of players at the tournament are registered with ECA Member Clubs
• 1 out of 3 clubs releasing players to the tournament are ECA Member Clubs
• Top represented clubs:
• Manchester City FC (ENG): 16 players
• Real Madrid CF (ESP): 15 players
• FC Barcelona (ESP): 14 players
• Top represented countries:
• England: 130 players
• Spain: 81 players
• Germany: 68 players
• Only 5 players in total from the 14 participating European national teams are playing for clubs outside of Europe

Regarding the report, ECA General Secretary, Michele Centenaro stated:

“The ECA Player Release Analysis aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the pivotal role clubs play in making major national team tournaments possible. The results of this study demonstrate that European clubs are the foundation of the game, providing nearly three out of four of the players for the tournament.”

* All findings based on official squads published by FIFA on 4^th June 2018. Due to player transfers, results are subject to change.