The World Cup stars who could have played for England

BySteve Sutcliffe

BBC Sport journalist

Erling Haaland will be the man England fear most when they face Norway in the World Cup quarter-finals on Saturday (22:00 BST) - but things could have been very different.

The Manchester City striker was born in Leeds, so would be lining up for the Three Lions if he had opted to represent the country of his birth. But he isn't the only one.

There are a number of World Cup stars who could have played for England, but are representing other countries.

And, interestingly, 20 of the 26 players in Thomas Tuchel's squad for this World Cup were eligible to play for other nations - but committed to England.

BBC Sport has selected a team of players from this tournament who slipped through the Three Lions' net - have your say and let us know if there is anyone you think we have missed in the comments section.

Switzerland goalkeeper Marvin Keller, 23, was born in London but came through the youth system at Grasshoppers.

He moved on to FC Wil and more recently Young Boys, where he has become their first-choice keeper - and made his only Switzerland appearance so far in a pre-World Cup friendly.

West Ham defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who was born in London, represented England at under-20 and under-21 levels but switched international allegiance to DR Congo in 2025.

The 28-year-old was called up by England in September 2019 but was forced to withdraw with an injury.

Antonee Robinson was born in Milton Keynes and raised on Merseyside, where he came through the ranks at Everton before moving on to Wigan and Fulham.

His father was born in England but raised in New York and gained American citizenship.

Robinson, 28, committed his international future to the USA in 2018.

Axel Tuanzebe was born in Bunia, DR Congo, but moved to England as a child.

The 28-year-old, who made one appearance for England Under-21s, is a graduate of Manchester United's academy and was part of the Burnley side relegated from the Premier League last term.

Lancashire-born Scotland international Scott McTominay certainly merits his place in this line-up despite a quiet World Cup.

The 29-year-old made 255 appearances for Manchester United after coming through their academy, but his career took off upon switching to Napoli in 2024.

Named Serie A player of the year in a title-winning debut season, he has also become a central player for his country, scoring 15 goals in 73 appearances.

The son of a German mother and a Nigerian father, Felix Nmecha was born in Hamburg but moved to England with his family in 2007.

He joined Manchester City's academy and went on to make three appearances for the club before moving on to Wolfsburg and Borussia Dortmund.

Nmecha, 25, played for both Germany and England at youth international level.

Antoine Semenyo, 26, is another player who was born in London and whose football career developed exclusively in England.

But brought up by Ghanaian parents (his mother is also half-French), he has long been a supporter of the Ghana national side.

He made his first appearance for the Black Stars in 2022, while he was at Bristol City and long before he hit the heights at Bournemouth and Manchester City.

Born in Stuttgart to a Nigerian-British father and German mother with Polish roots, Jamal Musiala moved to England when he was seven and spent much of his childhood in the UK.

The attacking midfielder, 23, also played for England from under-15 to under-21 levels alongside the likes of Jude Bellingham.

However, after moving to play for Bayern Munich in 2020, he opted to pledge his allegiance to the country of his birth in 2021.

With a British-Nigerian father and French-Algerian mother, Michael Olise, 24, had a choice of four international sides.

Olise was born in London and came through the English academy system at the likes of Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea and Reading, but opted to represent France.

His first senior call-up for Les Bleus arrived just over a month after his £50m move from Crystal Palace to Bayern Munich in 2024.

Erling Haaland has set all kinds of goalscoring records at Manchester City since moving to the Premier League in 2022, but has also been prolific on the European and international stage.

The 25-year-old has scored 60 times in 53 games for Norway and has his sights set on the Golden Boot at this year's World Cup, with seven goals so far.

He was born in England when his father Alf-Inge Haaland, was playing for Leeds in the Premier League at the turn of the century.

Haaland then moved to Bryne, his parents' hometown, aged three and came through Norway's youth teams all the way up to senior level.

Here is a name you will have heard plenty about over the past few days...

Folarin Balogun was born when his mum was on a trip to New York and could also have played for England or Nigeria.

The Arsenal academy product played for both the US and England at under-18 level, and was at the heart of Lee Carsley's England U21 plans - scoring seven goals in 13 games as they geared up for the 2023 Under-21 European Championships.

But there was also a huge swell of public support for him to commit to the US at a time the path to England's senior side appeared far more complicated - and he made his debut for the USA in June 2023.

The 25-year-old scored three times at this World Cup as the US were eliminated at the last-16 stage.