Serie A Enilive at the World Cup in America

Serie A Enilive heads into the 2026 World Cup with numbers that highlight its international reach: 66 players from the 20 clubs in Italy’s top flight (including the newly promoted teams) have been called up, along with four players from clubs relegated to Serie B, bringing the total number of representatives to 70.

Milan leads the way with the largest contingent, boasting ten players at the tournament, followed by Atalanta with eight and Inter with seven. At the other end of the spectrum, Lazio, Monza, and Lecce have no players called up.

Overall, 28 of the 48 nations that qualified for the 2026 World Cup include at least one player at a Serie A club, reflecting the international appeal of the Italian league.

The most represented national teams. Atalanta sets a new record

One of the standout stories comes from Bergamo. Thanks to the late call-up of Éderson for Brazil, replacing the injured Wesley of Roma, Atalanta now has eight players at the tournament, the highest number in the club’s history for a World Cup, surpassing its previous record of four set at the 2022 tournament in Qatar.

Croatia once again tops the list of national teams represented by Serie A players, with seven in total, led by Luka Modrić. Belgium follows with five, while Norway, the Netherlands, and France each have four players from Serie A clubs in their squads. In contrast, Germany, England, and Spain have no Serie A players in their World Cup squads.

The largest club contingent from any one national team stands at two players. Milan has two representatives each for Belgium and France, while Napoli has two Belgians in its squad. The club was also set to have two Scottish internationals, but Gilmour’s late withdrawal reduced that number.

From the Americas to Oceania: Serie A’s worldwide reach

Beyond Europe, Ivory Coast is the national team with the strongest Serie A presence, thanks to Kossounou, Bonny, and Ndicka. Ange-Yoan Bonny’s story is particularly noteworthy. Born in Aubervilliers and a product of France’s youth setup, the Inter forward opted to represent his parents’ country, securing his place in Ivory Coast’s World Cup squad after completing the switch in time for the tournament.

Serie A’s connections with the Americas are equally strong. Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, the United States, Ecuador, Canada, and Mexico each have two Serie A players in their World Cup squads, highlighting the league’s influence across the region and the variety of clubs and positions represented.

The league’s reach extends to Asia and Oceania as well. Japan is represented by Suzuki, while Iraq has Farji. Australia, meanwhile, features Volpato and Circati, two players who chose to represent the Socceroos despite also being eligible to play for Italy during their international careers.

The complete list of players called up

Milan (10)

• Alexis Saelemaekers (Belgium)
• Koni De Winter (Belgium)
• Luka Modrić (Croatia)
• Pervis Estupinan (Ecuador)
• Mike Maignan (France)
• Adrien Rabiot (France)
• Santiago Giménez (Mexico)
• Rafael Leão (Portugal)
• Christian Pulisic (USA)
• Jashari (Switzerland)

Atalanta (8)

• Charles De Ketelaere (Belgium)
• Sead Kolašinac (Bosnia-Herzegovina)
• Éderson (Brazil)
• Odilon Kossounou (Ivory Coast)
• Mario Pašalić (Croatia)
• Kamaldeen Sulemana (Ghana)
• Marten de Roon (Netherlands)
• Isak Hien (Sweden)

Inter (7)

• Lautaro Martínez (Argentina)
• Ange-Yoan Bonny (Ivory Coast)
• Petar Sučić (Croatia)
• Marcus Thuram (France)
• Denzel Dumfries (Netherlands)
• Manuel Akanji (Switzerland)
• Hakan Çalhanoğlu (Türkiye)

Juventus (6)

• Gleison Bremer (Brazil)
• Jonathan David (Canada)
• Teun Koopmeiners (Netherlands)
• Francisco Conceição (Portugal)
• Kenan Yıldız (Türkiye)
• Weston McKennie (USA)

Bologna (5)

• Jhon Lucumí (Colombia)
• Nikola Moro (Croatia)
• Torbjørn Heggem (Norway)
• Lewis Ferguson (Scotland)
• Remo Freuler (Switzerland)

Roma (5)

• Ndicka (Ivory Coast)
• Kone (France)
• El Aynaoui (Morocco)
• Malen (Netherlands)
• Celik (Türkiye)

(Wesley out due to injury in a friendly)

Napoli (4)

• Scott McTominay (Scotland)
• Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium)
• Romelu Lukaku (Belgium)
• Mathías Olivera (Uruguay)

(Gilmour out due to injury)

Sassuolo (4)

• Volpato (Australia)
• Muharemović (Bosnia-Herzegovina)
• Koné (Canada)
• Thorstvedt (Norway)

Como (3)

• Nico Paz (Argentina)
• Martin Baturina (Croatia)
• Diao (Senegal)

Torino (3)

• Nikola Vlašić (Croatia)
• Nikola Pedersen (Norway)
• Ché Adams (Scotland)

Venezia (3)

• Svoboda (Austria)
• John Yeboah (Ecuador)
• Farji (Iraq)

Genoa (2)

• Johan Vásquez (Mexico)
• Ostigard (Norway)

Parma (2)

• Circati (Australia)
• Suzuki (Japan)

Cagliari (1)

• Yerry Mina (Colombia)

Fiorentina (1)

• Marin Pongracic (Croatia)

Frosinone (1)

• Fares Ghedjemis (Algeria)

Udinese (1)

• Karlström (Sweden)

To the list of 66, we can also add the players from the three clubs relegated to Serie B: Thorsby (Norway) and Sanabria (Paraguay) at Cremonese, Aebischer (Switzerland) at Pisa, and Belghali (Algeria) at Verona.

Italian coaches in the dugout

There is also an Italian presence at the World Cup in the dugouts, with three Italian coaches leading teams at the tournament. Carlo Ancelotti will be chasing the ultimate prize with Brazil. Winning the World Cup with the Seleção would add another extraordinary chapter to a career already among the most successful in football history. Vincenzo Montella is in charge of Türkiye, who are returning to the World Cup for only the second time in their history, aiming to build on the steady progress they have shown in recent years. Finally, Fabio Cannavaro leads Uzbekistan into their first-ever World Cup appearance. It is a historic debut, and the former Italy captain will be hoping to make it even more memorable.