Morocco youngest top-ranked Fifa World Cup squad, Brazil oldest: LCP study

Mexico leads in professional footballers and clubs, while the US and Saudi Arabia show rising football depth

Morocco has the youngest squad among the top 10 Fifa-ranked teams competing in this year’s World Cup, with an average age of 25.92 years and seven of its 26 players below the age of 23, according to a study by UK-based Lane Clark & Peacock (LCP).

 

The study, led by Amlan Roy, investment partner for global macro research at LCP, examined the macro demographics of participating countries in the ongoing tournament.

 

Spain follows Morocco, with an average squad age of 26.19 years. France is third at 26.58 years, while England is fourth at 26.62 years. Each team has a squad of 26 players and a coach.

 

 

Among the top 10 ranked teams, the oldest squads are from Latin America. Brazil has an average squad age of 28.65 years, followed by Argentina at 28.62 years. Argentina’s squad includes 39-year-old Lionel Messi, who has already scored five goals in two matches in the tournament.

 

Among all 48 teams playing in the World Cup this year, Ecuador has the youngest squad, with an average age of 25.58 years and seven players below 23.

 

The study also looks at which countries have the highest concentration of professional footballers and clubs, a measure that reflects not only the sport’s popularity but also the opportunities available to players.

 

Mexico tops the table among the 48 participating countries. It has 9,464 professional footballers and 244 professional football clubs, the highest in both categories.

 

Spain follows with 8,560 professional footballers, while England has 5,582. Turkey is fourth, with 3,917 professional players.

 

The growing popularity of football in the US is also striking, particularly because the country is one of the venues for the current World Cup. Once seen largely as the land of American football, the US now has more than 101 professional football clubs, the fourth-highest among the 48 countries. It also has 2,971 professional footballers.

 

Saudi Arabia, too, is flexing its football muscle. It has the third-highest number of professional football clubs among participating countries, while 1,505 players in the country have turned professional.

 

Football, however, remains a game of the masses, and there is little direct correlation between a country’s per capita gross domestic product (GDP) ranking and its Fifa ranking.

 

Morocco, for instance, is ranked eighth in Fifa rankings, but 38th among the 48 participating countries in terms of per capita GDP. Brazil is ranked sixth in football, but 29th on per capita GDP. Argentina is ranked third in Fifa rankings, but 27th by per capita GDP.

 

Switzerland, by contrast, tops the table among participating countries in terms of per capita GDP, but is ranked 18th in Fifa rankings.  Morocco youngest, Brazil oldest 

Country	Fifa rank	Average squad age	Players under 23
Morocco	8	25.92	7
Spain	2	26.19	5
France	1	26.58	5
England	4	26.62	4
Belgium	9	27.12	4
Netherlands	7	27.27	4
Portugal	5	27.54	5
Germany	10	27.54	5
Argentina	3	28.62	2
Brazil	6	28.65	3

Source: LCP’s 2026 World Cup Countries’ Macro Demographics report 

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  Mexico has the deepest professional football base 

Country	Professional footballers	Professional clubs
Mexico	9,464	244
Spain	8,560	41
England	5,582	92
Turkey	3,917	136
Argentina	3,613	18
Sweden	3,092	32
Czechia	2,959	30
France	2,906	47
USA	2,791	101
Japan	2,126	60

Source: LCP’s 2026 World Cup Countries’ Macro Demographics report 

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  Football strength does not follow income rankings 

Country	Fifa rank	GDP per capita rank	What it shows
France	1	14	Strong football, rich economy
Spain	2	30	Football rank far ahead of income rank
Argentina	3	27	Football strength exceeds income rank
Brazil	6	29	Same pattern as Argentina
Morocco	8	38	Major football overperformance
Switzerland	18	1	Richest, but not top football rank
USA	16	3	High income, mid-table football rank
Qatar	38	5	High income does not imply football strength

Source: Source: LCP’s 2026 World Cup Countries’ Macro Demographics report