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Guus Til stands out as the sole Dutch international at the World Cup not born in the Netherlands. The versatile player was born in Zambia, Africa, where his father was involved in development work. He lived there until he was three, and briefly in Mozambique, before his family settled in Amsterdam. Til is an anomaly within the Dutch squad, which otherwise consists entirely of players born in the Netherlands.
Curaçao Takes the Crown
Curaçao presents the opposite scenario. A remarkable 25 out of 26 squad members under coach Dick Advocaat were born in the Netherlands. Only Tahith Chong, recognizable by his distinctive afro hairstyle, was actually born on Curaçao itself. As Curaçao is a constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, this connection isn't entirely surprising. More striking are the numerous other Dutch-born footballers representing various nations at the World Cup.
Morocco, Turkey, and Cape Verde
Morocco, for instance, boasts three Dutch-born players at the World Cup: Noussair Mazraoui, Anass Salah-Eddine, and Sofyan Amrabat. Turkey also has three: Ferdi Kadioglu, Orkun Kökçu, and Oguz Aydin. Cape Verde's World Cup squad includes six Dutch-born players: Sidny Lopes Cabral, Jamiro Monteiro, brothers Deroy and Laros Duarte, Garry Rodrigues, and Dailon Livramento.
From Tunisia to New Zealand
Among the Dutch opponents, Tunisia features Omar Rekik, the younger brother of former Dutch international Karim Rekik. Algeria has brought Ramiz Zerrouki to the World Cup, who was also born in the Netherlands. Ghana (Derrick Luckassen, brother of Brian Brobbey), New Zealand (Nando Pijnaker), and the United States (Sergiño Dest) also have Dutch-born players hoping to make an impact at the World Cup.
In total, 289 players at the World Cup represent a country other than their birthplace.
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