A complete of 128 nations have been represented within the Premier League since its inception in 1992.
Of the 211 nationwide associations recognised by Fifa, 83 nations are but to characteristic in England’s top-flight.
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A few of the world’s most populous nations have by no means had a Premier League participant, together with Ethiopia, India, Myanmar, Sudan, Thailand, Uganda and Vietnam.
Six of the seven continents have been represented within the Premier League, with Antarctica the one continent to not characteristic.
England is essentially the most represented nation within the league with 1,736 gamers, adopted by France (242), Scotland (218), Republic of Eire (209), Spain (172), Netherlands (155), Wales (135) and Brazil (125).
Haiti is the latest nation to characteristic within the Premier League after Wolves’ Jean-Ricner Bellegarde switched worldwide allegiance from France.
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Armenia, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Malta, Kenya, Tanzania, Central African Republic and Mozambique have all solely had one nationwide play within the division.
Suriname, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Iraq, Oman, Pakistan, Phillipines, Syria and Uzbekistan are the others with one sole consultant.
Is it straightforward to change nationwide groups?
Wolves’ Jean-Ricner Bellegarde switched allegiances from France to Haiti in 2025 [Getty Images]
With a inhabitants of over one billion residents, India is but to provide a Premier League footballer. But its neighbouring nations, Pakistan and Bangladesh, have each had gamers symbolize them within the Premier League.
Former Fulham defender Zesh Rehman performed for Pakistan between 2005 and 2019 and just lately Leicester Metropolis’s Hamza Choudhury switched allegiances to Bangladesh following England youth caps.
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Whereas encouraging gamers to play at worldwide degree for his or her heritage nation is one path to incomes illustration within the Premier League, it’s usually sophisticated.
For instance, India has a citizenship act which doesn’t permit twin citizenship and abroad residents of India are banned from representing the nation at sporting occasions since 2008. It means solely Indian passport holders are eligible to compete for the nation, so any footballer must revoke their present citizenship.
Former Australia and Fulham ahead Ryan Williams, who by no means made a Premier League look, took that step in 2025 by revoking his Australian citizenship and acquiring a ‘No Objection Certificates’ from Australia’s soccer federation to ratify the transfer.
if they’ve heritage linking them to a rustic. This consists of being born within the nation, or having mother and father or grandparents born or residing within the nation for at the very least 5 steady years after the age of 18.
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How can an abroad participant be part of the Premier League?
Leicester Metropolis’s Hamza Choudhury has made seven appearances to this point for Bangladesh [Getty Images]
All non-UK footballers want a working visa earlier than they’ll play professionally within the nation. That is achieved by way of a points-based system, which determines whether or not a participant will make a big contribution to English soccer.
The game visa takes into consideration the variety of worldwide appearances a participant has made, the quantity of minutes they’ve recorded in a high league, and a membership’s league place.
Typically a participant is routinely awarded a visa if their nationwide crew is within the high 50 Fifa ranked nations.
Candidates are required to have made a sure variety of worldwide appearances over a 24-month interval to ensure that this to be accepted.
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As an illustration, a participant, from one of many top-10 ranked nations, has to have performed 30% of matches in that point to ensure that an auto go. That extends to 40% of worldwide video games and above for nations ranked 11-20, 60% and above for ranks 21-30 and 70% and above for ranks 31 and 50.
Exterior of the highest 50 world rankings, it turns into very tough for a participant to be eligible for a visa. For instance, as India is at the moment 142nd within the males’s Fifa rankings, an Indian participant will need to have performed 80-100% of their nationwide crew matches in a two-year interval to gather factors.
Which nation is near having a Premier League participant?
Gabriel Caliste performs for West Ham’s under-21 crew [Getty Images]
A variety of nations are on the periphery of attaining illustration within the Premier League, together with Mauritius.
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West Ham’s Gabriel Caliste, who has 9 worldwide caps, will make historical past for the island ought to he characteristic for Nuno Espirito Santo’s aspect within the top-flight.
A variety of gamers with dual-nationality might additionally write their names within the historical past books ought to they select to to not play for England’s senior crew.
Arsenal’s Marli Salmon additionally has Mauritian heritage, whereas Chelsea’s Ryan Kavuma-McQueen and Manchester Metropolis’s Divine Mukasa each have Ugandan heritage.
This text is the most recent from BBC Sport’s crew.
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