World Cup kicks off tomorrow: Brothers in arms, opponents on the pitch

Two children born to the same mother. In their childhood, they may have slept in the same bed and shared the same toys. Yet, on the biggest stage in world football, they become each other’s rivals. One brother’s smile of victory could mean tears of disappointment for the other. In the history of the FIFA World Cup, such scenes are more extraordinary than fiction itself.
The 2026 World Cup begins on 11 June. Before the action gets underway, football fans are asking one question: will there be another chapter of brother-versus-brother battles this time?

In the century-long history of the World Cup, such a dramatic scenario has occurred only twice—and both times involved the same pair of brothers: Jerome Boateng and Kevin-Prince Boateng. During the group stage of the 2010 World Cup, Germany faced Ghana. Jerome, the younger brother, marshalled Germany’s defence, while Kevin-Prince, the elder sibling, was the driving force in Ghana’s midfield. Germany won that match 1–0.
Four years later, at the 2014 World Cup, the familiar script returned. This time, however, the Germany-Ghana encounter ended in a 2–2 draw, giving the Boateng family some relief.

This year’s World Cup seemed set to provide more such stories. A total of eight pairs of brothers were expected to take part in the tournament. But fate intervened. Injuries broke up one pair, reducing the number to “seven and a half pairs.”

Among these seven and a half pairs, four pairs will represent the same country, while the other four will play for different nations.

The four pairs playing under the same flag offer intriguing stories of their own. France’s defensive fortress includes brothers Theo Hernandez and Lucas Hernandez. The Netherlands squad was also expected to feature Jurriën Timber and Quinten Timber, but Jurriën’s injury means the Timber brothers will not be celebrating together in the Dutch dressing room.

The remaining two pairs represent World Cup newcomers Curaçao and Cape Verde. Laros Duarte and Deroy Duarte will play for Cape Verde, while Leandro Bacuna and Juninho Bacuna are key figures for Curaçao.

The real intrigue, however, lies among the four pairs representing different countries. Here, family ties take a back seat to footballing nationalism.
Take the case of Guela Doué and Désiré Doué. When Guela, Côte d’Ivoire’s right-back, takes the field, his brother Désiré will be wearing France’s famous blue shirt. Although both were born in France, Guela chose to represent his father’s homeland, Côte d’Ivoire.

A similar story surrounds the Williams brothers. Born in Spain’s Basque Country, theirs is a remarkable tale. The elder brother, 32-year-old Iñaki Williams, represents Ghana, while his younger brother, 23-year-old Nico Williams, has become one of Spain’s brightest attacking talents.

Ghana centre-back Derrick Luckassen has a brother, Brian Brobbey, who serves as a backup striker for the Netherlands. The brothers share the same mother but have different fathers.

Meanwhile, Harry Souttar, born in Scotland, will anchor Australia’s defence. His brother John Souttar, who is two years older, represents Scotland. Harry obtained Australian citizenship through his mother seven years ago.
According to FIFA’s group-stage schedule, there will be no direct brother-versus-brother clashes in the opening round. Nevertheless, some of the rivalry has already surfaced in pre-World Cup friendlies.

Last week, France and Côte d’Ivoire met in a warm-up match, pitting the teams of the Doué brothers against each other. Côte d’Ivoire’s Guela scored in France’s 2–1 victory, while an injured Désiré watched his brother’s goal from the stands.

After the match, Guela laughed about the situation, “We had a lot of playful banter before the game. But at the end of the day, we’re family. We’re genuinely happy for each other’s success.”

Over the past few decades, waves of migration to Europe have significantly shaped African football. A look at the squads of World Cup teams such as Algeria, Cape Verde, Morocco, and Senegal reveals that players born in Europe often outnumber those born in their countries of representation.
As a result, the modern World Cup has become more than a tournament of nations—it is also a stage where family bonds, dual identities, and footballing loyalties intersect in fascinating ways.