Reaching a World Cup is a privilege reserved for a select few. For two brothers to achieve it at the same time is something close to extraordinary. For it to happen seven times in the same tournament is, quite simply, unprecedented. The 2026 World Cup will be the World Cup with the most brothers in history, surpassing the record of Italia 1990, when five pairs took part.

The number could have been even higher. Dutch twins Quinten and Jurrien Timber were set to be the tournament’s eighth pair, but an injury from which Jurrien failed to recover ruled him out of the squad just days before the team’s debut.

His absence leaves the count at seven duos, with a particular detail that defines modern football: only three of them will wear the same shirt. The other four are spread across different national teams, a result of migration, dual nationality and the personal decisions that shape today’s game.

Those who share a dressing room

Lucas and Theo Hernandez (France)

The tournament’s most high‑profile pair. Sons of former footballer Jean‑Francois Hernandez and developed in Spain, the two defenders once again come together at a major tournament with Les Bleus. Lucas, now at Paris Saint-Germain, already knows what it is like to lift the World Cup — he did so at Russia 2018, and in Qatar 2022 both were part of the team that finished runners‑up. Theo, now established at Al‑Hilal as one of the best left‑backs on the planet, arrives at his second World Cup. Between them they already have more than 85 caps, and France once again start among the main favourites.

Leandro and Juninho Bacuna (Curacao)

If France represent the elite, Curacao embody the miracle. The small Caribbean island will play at the first World Cup in their history, and they will do so with two brothers as their standard‑bearers. Leandro, the captain and the player with the most appearances in the history of the national team, and Juninho, hardened in European football, were born in the Netherlands but chose their family’s homeland. They now lead one of the tournament’s most romantic debutants.

Laros and Deroy Duarte (Cape Verde)

The story repeats itself a few kilometres further east across the Atlantic. The Duarte brothers were also born and brought up in the Netherlands and also said yes to their roots: they will represent Cape Verde at the African country’s World Cup debut. Their choice encapsulates the spirit of this national team, built largely with children of the diaspora who decided to give something back to their parents’ land.

Those divided by flags

Nico Williams (Spain) and Inaki Williams (Ghana)

The most emblematic and probably the most beautiful case. The Williams brothers share a dressing room every day at Athletic Bilbao, but at World Cups they walk separate paths. Their parents crossed the Sahara Desert in search of a better life before Inaki was born in Bilbao, and that family story explains the two decisions: the elder chose Ghana to honour his family’s blood and wishes; the younger, a Euro 2024 winner with Spain, represents the country that watched them grow. They already took part together in Qatar 2022, although the draw never put them head‑to‑head. In 2026 they once again dream of that clash that football still owes them.

Desire Doue (France) and Guela Doue (Ivory Coast)

The brothers of the moment. Both were born in France, both came through the Rennes academy, but only one wears the blue of his birth country. Desire, a European champion with PSG and one of world football’s brightest prospects, is part of Didier Deschamps’ project. Guela, a defender at Strasbourg, chose Ivory Coast, his father’s homeland. Fate has already given them a taster: in a warm‑up friendly before the tournament, Guela scored precisely against France, and the image of the two brothers hugging at the final whistle travelled around the world. If their teams go deep into the tournament, a reunion in the knock‑out rounds would be one of the World Cup’s great storylines.

John Souttar (Scotland) and Harry Souttar (Australia)

Both centre‑backs were born in Scotland, but their mother Heather’s Australian nationality opened a different path for the younger brother. John, a Rangers player, remained faithful to the tartan; Harry, a Leicester City defender, chose the Socceroos. Their story is also marked by pain: in 2022 they lost their older brother Aaron, who died at 42 after a long battle with motor neurone disease. He was their idol, ‘like a second father’, and both carry him tattooed on their skin. The tragedy, they acknowledge, brought them closer than ever. Sunday will be an unforgettable day: Scotland debut against Haiti just before Australia face Turkey.

Brian Brobbey (Netherlands) and Derrick Luckassen (Ghana)

The most obscure pair and the last to be confirmed. Striker Brian Brobbey will play for the Oranje, while his older half‑brother, defender Derrick Luckassen, made Ghana’s squad as a late injury replacement. United by their mother and separated by their surnames, they complete the quartet of divided families. An additional curiosity: the Black Stars thus bring together two players with brothers at the tournament, Luckassen and Inaki Williams himself.

A tradition that goes way back

Brothers have always written memorable chapters at World Cups. Bobby and Jack Charlton lifted the trophy together with England in 1966.

The De Boer twins were the backbone of the Netherlands of the 1990s, and the Laudrups, Michael and Brian, brought glamour to Denmark.

Honduras took three brothers at once to South Africa 2010 — Jerry, Jhony and Wilson Palacios — a record for a single national team that still stands.

But the precedent that best foreshadowed what we will see this summer was set by the Boatengs: Kevin‑Prince, with Ghana, and Jérôme, with Germany, became the first brothers to face each other at a World Cup, and did so twice, in 2010 and 2014. What then seemed a rarity is now almost a trend.

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There is a detail that adds extra spice to the equation: because of the draw, none of the four split pairs will meet in the group stage. Any fratricidal duel will have to wait for the knock‑outs, where the luck of the bracket could give us a Williams vs Williams, a Doué vs Doué or a Souttar vs Souttar with a ticket to the next round at stake.

The ball will start rolling and, for a month, there will be parents in the stands with two shirts in their backpack. Perhaps that will be the image that best defines this World Cup: the first truly global World Cup is also, more than ever before, a family affair.

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