​Inside France’s diverse World Cup team: How Kylian Mbappe leads roster of players with migrant roots originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.In sports, controversy is no stranger. For World Cup soccer, what country a player can play for has grown into that controversial category.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementFrance is the most popular team that soccer fans have pointed as for the misconception that the team’s roster is filled with players born outside of the country. According to The Athletic, 23 of Les Bleus’ 26 total players on the World Cup roster were born in the country.Being born in a country is not the only exclusive factor that can determine what country a player chooses to represent in soccer. In fact, there are four separate thresholds that can determine a player’s list of countries they are qualified to play for.Here’s where France ranks across the tournament based on how many players across the tournament field were born there.2026 WORLD CUP HQ:Latest World Cup news | Full World Cup schedule | Buy World Cup ticketsAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAt the 2026 World Cup, France’s national team received a lot of commotion regarding players’ nationality statuses. However, Les Bleus only have three players born outside of France on the French roster.Here are the three players born outside of France:Michael Olise has flourished during the 2026 World Cup. While he is still waiting for his first goal of the tournament, the FC Bayern forward has shown the world what he is capable of through five assists. The 24-year-old was born in London, England, but was born to a French-Algerian mother.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIn an interview with Highsnobiety, Olise gave his reason as to why he chose to suit up for Les Bleus over The Three Lions, Algeria, or Nigeria, where his father was born.“The players I followed when I was young were French: Zidane, Thierry Henry, Ribery,” said Olise. “And I always came to France when I was young. It felt more natural.”Through 23 international caps for France, Olise has scored seven times.Marcus Thuram was also born outside of France. The 28-year-old forward was born in Parma, Italy, while his father, Lilian, played in the Italian Serie A league. His father was born in Pointe-a-Pitre, a commune in Guadeloupe, which is a French-governed set of islands in the Caribbean Sea.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThuram does have citizenship for both Guadeloupe and France, but he chose to play for the latter most likely because his father played for the team and there was a better outlook for success.In 35 international caps, Thuram has three goals for Les Bleus.Rounding out the list is backup goalie Brice Samba. The 32-year-old was born in Linzolo, Republic of the Congo, before he moved to France at a young age. After becoming a French citizen, Samba eventually decided on playing for the French national team in internation