Now that the most successful season many Arsenal fans have ever experienced is over, thanks for all the memories Mikel, attention turns to the World Cup. Of the Gunners' 24 senior players, 16 are heading stateside for the tournament. Riccardo Calafiori, along with all other Italians, are enduring yet another summer off, while Cristhian Mosquera, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Gabriel Jesus are among those not called up by their respective national teams.
Arsenal's World Cup representatives
Players Nation Expected squad role
Gabriel Brazil Guaranteed starter
Gabriel Martinelli Brazil Rotation option
Piero Hincapié Ecuador Guaranteed starter
Kai Havertz Germany Potential starter
Jurriën Timber Netherlands Potential starter
Viktor Gyökeres Sweden Guaranteed starter
Leandro Trossard Belgium Guaranteed starter
David Raya Spain Back-up
Mikel Merino Spain Potential starter
Martín Zubimendi Spain Potential starter
William Saliba France Guaranteed starter (if fit)
Martin Ødegaard Norway Guaranteed starter
Declan Rice England Guaranteed starter
Bukayo Saka England Guaranteed starter
Eberechi Eze England Rotation option
Noni Madueke England Rotation option
As part of FIFA's Club Benefits Programme, clubs are paid $11,000 per day that any player is involved in the tournament. This may not seem like a huge amount for a club who generated revenue of £690.3 million in 2024/25, a figure that will be even higher this time round. Nevertheless, with plenty of these national teams set to go deep into the competition, that money will quickly rack up.
So, how does this tally of 16 Arsenal World Cup players compare to previous editions?
Number of Arsenal players per World Cup
World Cup Number of Arsenal players
North America 2026 16
Qatar 2022 10
Russia 2018 7
Brazil 2014 10
South Africa 2010 10
Germany 2006 15
Korea Japan 2002 11
France '98 7
USA '94 1
Italia '90 1
Mexico '86 3
Spain '82 4
Argentina '78 Zero
West Germany '74 Zero
Mexico '70 Zero
England '66 1
This summer's tally of 16 players is the most the Gunners have ever sent to a World Cup. The previous record of 15 was set two decades ago, with Arsenal actually sending more players than any other club on the planet to Germany 2006. That was very much a sign of how strong Arsène Wenger's team had been during the early-to-mid 2000s. Of course, this is slightly skewed by the fact the 2026 edition is an expanded edition. Nevertheless, Viktor Gyökeres' Sweden are the only national team who would not have made it under the previous 32-team format.
It was though not always this way. The last time the USA hosted, Republic of Ireland's Eddie McGoldrick was Arsenal's sole representative. Four years earlier, David O'Leary was the only Gunner in Italy, despite England's presence, while they sent none at all to all three editions during the '70s.
This time round, how does Arsenal's tally of 16 players compare to the rest of the world?
Clubs with most World Cup 2026 representatives
19: Manchester City.
18: Bayern Munich.
16: Arsenal & Paris Saint-Germain.
15: Barcelona.
12: Crystal Palace, Manchester United, Al-Hilal & Atlético Madrid.
11: Liverpool, Borussia Dortmund & Galatasaray.
10: Slavia Prague, AC Milan, Fenerbahçe, Real Madrid & PSV Eindhoven.
9: Sunderland, Aston Villa, Flamengo, Al-Nassr, Al-Ahli & Al Ahly.
Note: Statistics courtesy of the Athletic.
Arsenal are level with PSG in terms of 16 World Cup representatives, behind only Manchester City and Bayern Munich. In total, 154 Premier League-based players will be at the tournament, by far the most of any league, ahead of Bundesliga (93), Ligue 1 (78), La Liga (74) and Serie A (66).
So, how could this affect Arteta's pre-season preparations? Well, there are only four weeks between the World Cup final at MetLife Stadium and the FA Community Shield at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, where Arsenal will face Manchester City. So, let's say England, Brazil and Spain all reach the semi-finals, which is very plausible, Arteta could be working with a very depleted squad during pre-season, but that is the cost of success.
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