Brother vs Brother at the 2026 World Cup: The Families Split by the Biggest Tournament on the Planet

The 2026 World Cup has brought together several football families. The tournament features brothers, cousins, twins, and players who represent different national teams and could face each other in the knockout stage.

The main intrigue is the possibility of “brother vs brother” matches. There are several such pairs at the 2026 World Cup: Iñaki and Nico Williams, Guéla and Désiré Doué, Derrick Luckassen and Brian Brobbey, Harry and John Souttar.

Possible brother-vs-brother matches at the 2026 World Cup

Derrick Luckassen — Brian Brobbey

National teams: Ghana and the Netherlands
Relationship: brothers
Possible meeting: in the later stages of the playoffs, but before the final

Derrick Luckassen represents Ghana, while his younger brother Brian Brobbey plays for the Netherlands.

The brothers come from a large football family. They have Ghanaian roots, but Brobbey went through all the Dutch youth national teams and made his senior debut in 2023. He has 13 caps and 1 goal for the Netherlands.

Thirty-year-old Derrick Luckassen, a defender for Pafos, previously played for the Netherlands U21 team and made 9 appearances for them. In 2026, he chose to represent Ghana and made it to the World Cup.

The brothers also have two other footballing brothers — Kevin and Samuel — but they do not play at the same high level.

Iñaki Williams — Nico Williams

National teams: Ghana and Spain
Relationship: brothers
Possible meeting: in the early stages of the playoffs, but before the final

Iñaki and Nico Williams were born and raised in Spain. Both have spent their entire careers at Athletic Bilbao, but at international level they chose different countries.

Their parents are from Ghana. Older brother Iñaki first played one match for Spain in 2016, but was not called up again afterward. Since 2022, he has represented Ghana. He has 26 caps and 2 goals.

Nico Williams has played for Spain since 2022. The 23-year-old winger has already become a European champion and has scored 6 goals in 31 matches for the national team.

Harry Souttar — John Souttar

National teams: Australia and Scotland
Relationship: brothers
Possible meeting: in the early stages of the playoffs

Harry and John Souttar were born in Aberdeen, Scotland, but represent different national teams. John plays for Scotland, while Harry represents Australia, their mother’s homeland.

Twenty-nine-year-old John Souttar of Rangers has played for Scotland since 2018. He has 24 caps and 2 goals.

Twenty-seven-year-old Harry Souttar of Leicester previously played for Scotland U19, but chose Australia at senior level. He made his debut for the Australian national team in 2019 and has already scored 11 goals in 40 matches.

The brothers’ father was also a footballer and later coached them at their first academy.

Harry Souttar is one of the tallest players at the 2026 World Cup. He is 198 cm tall. John is around 12 cm shorter than his brother.

Guéla Doué — Désiré Doué

National teams: Ivory Coast and France
Relationship: brothers
Possible meeting: as early as the first knockout stage

Guéla and Désiré Doué were born in France but have Ivorian roots. The older brother chose Ivory Coast, while the younger one chose France.

Twenty-three-year-old Guéla Doué plays for Strasbourg and has represented Ivory Coast since 2024. He has 21 caps and 3 goals. He has already scored against France in a match in which his brother was part of the French team.

Désiré Doué of PSG went through the French youth national teams and made his senior debut in 2025. He has 8 caps and 2 goals.

The Doué family is also connected to other footballers. Their cousins are Yann Gboho of Toulouse, a France youth international; Eddy Doué, who plays for the Ivory Coast youth team and a club in the Portuguese league; and Marc-Olivier Doué, who plays in the Spanish second division.

Relatives in the Same National Team

Lukáš Červ — David Douděra

National team: Czech Republic
Relationship: cousins

Lukáš Červ and David Douděra are cousins through their mothers. Both became Czech national team players relatively recently, but they are already important members of the squad.

Červ has 18 caps and 2 goals for the national team. Douděra has played 17 matches and has also scored 2 goals.

David Douděra also has footballing brothers — Mike and Martin. They play in the lower leagues.

Juninho Bacuna — Leandro Bacuna

National team: Curaçao
Relationship: brothers

Juninho and Leandro Bacuna are one of the main family pairs in the Curaçao national team.

Both were born and began their careers in the Netherlands. Unlike many players who were recruited by Curaçao relatively recently, the Bacuna brothers have been playing for the national team for a long time.

Thirty-four-year-old Leandro Bacuna is the captain of the national team. He has 72 caps and 16 goals.

Twenty-eight-year-old Juninho Bacuna has made 50 appearances for the national team and scored 14 goals.

They also have an older brother, Johnson Bacuna, who has already retired. He was born in Curaçao and played for the Netherlands Antilles national team.

Curaçao is a FIFA member, although Curaçao is not a sovereign state. The team became the successor to the Netherlands Antilles national team and has competed in FIFA tournaments since 2011.

Sontje Hansen — Arjany Martha

National team: Curaçao
Relationship: cousins

Sontje Hansen and Arjany Martha are cousins in the Curaçao national team.

Twenty-four-year-old Hansen of Middlesbrough previously played for the Netherlands youth teams and made more than 40 appearances for them. Since 2025, he has represented Curaçao. He has 7 caps and 1 goal.

Twenty-two-year-old Martha also played for the Dutch youth national teams. Since 2024, he has represented Curaçao. He has played 8 matches for the national team and scored 2 goals.

Laros Duarte — Deroy Duarte

National team: Cape Verde
Relationship: brothers

Laros and Deroy Duarte play for Cape Verde. Both are central midfielders.

The brothers were born in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and previously played for the Dutch youth national teams.

Twenty-nine-year-old Deroy Duarte of Ludogorets has played for Cape Verde since 2022. He has 32 caps.

Twenty-six-year-old Laros Duarte of Puskás Akadémia has represented Cape Verde since 2024. He has made 18 appearances for the national team.

Both brothers played in the historic match against Spain, which ended 0-0. Laros started the match, while Deroy came on from the bench.

Théo Hernandez — Lucas Hernandez

National team: France
Relationship: brothers

Théo and Lucas Hernandez are brothers in the France national team.

They are the sons of former footballer Jean-François Hernandez. Their father had an extensive career in La Liga and Ligue 1, but never played for the France national team.

Both brothers could have chosen Spain or France, but eventually became players of the French national team.

Théo Hernandez has 45 caps and 2 goals for France. Lucas Hernandez has played 42 matches. Only Lucas became a 2018 world champion — Théo was not included in the squad at that time.

Petar Sučić — Luka Sučić

National team: Croatia
Relationship: cousins

Petar and Luka Sučić are cousins through their fathers. Both are considered part of Croatia’s future and potential successors to the generation of Luka Modrić and Mateo Kovačić.

Twenty-two-year-old Petar Sučić of Inter was born in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He previously played for the Bosnia and Herzegovina youth national team, but chose Croatia at senior level. He has played 18 matches and scored 1 goal for Croatia.

Twenty-three-year-old Luka Sučić of Real Sociedad was born in Austria, but has represented Croatia since U15 level. He has made 21 appearances and scored 1 goal for the senior team.

Marco Pašalić and Mario Pašalić, who also play for Croatia, are not related.

Quinten Timber — Jurriën Timber

National team: Netherlands
Relationship: twin brothers

Quinten and Jurriën Timber are twin brothers and players of the Netherlands national team.

Both could have represented Curaçao through their roots, but chose the Netherlands and became important players for the national team.

Jurriën Timber left the 2026 World Cup due to injury. Another brother, Dylan Timber, has played one match for Curaçao, but was not called up for the 2026 World Cup.

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Father and Son in the Australia National Team

Paul Okon-Engstler — Paul Okon

National team: Australia
Relationship: son and father

Paul Okon-Engstler was included in Australia’s squad for the 2026 World Cup.

His father, Paul Okon, is part of Australia’s coaching staff and works as an assistant coach. In the past, he was the captain of the Australian national team.

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Bonus: Diego Moreira’s Football Family

Diego Moreira represents Belgium, but he could have chosen several countries.

The 21-year-old Strasbourg midfielder previously played for Portugal’s youth national teams from U16 to U21. He also represented Belgium at U15 and U21 levels, and chose Belgium at senior level.

Moreira could have represented Portugal, Belgium, Guinea-Bissau through his father, and Germany through his mother.

His father, Almami Moreira, played for Guinea-Bissau. His cousin Eric da Silva Moreira plays for Germany U20. Another cousin, Carlos Mané, played 3 matches for Portugal and later became a Guinea-Bissau international.

Diego Moreira’s maternal grandfather, Helmut Graf, was also a footballer. He was never called up to the Germany national team, but had a long career in German and Belgian clubs.

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Full List of Brothers and Relatives at the 2026 World Cup

Brothers from Different National Teams

Players	National teams	Relationship
Derrick Luckassen — Brian Brobbey	Ghana — Netherlands	brothers
Iñaki Williams — Nico Williams	Ghana — Spain	brothers
Harry Souttar — John Souttar	Australia — Scotland	brothers
Guéla Doué — Désiré Doué	Ivory Coast — France	brothers

Relatives in the Same National Team

Players	National team	Relationship
Lukáš Červ — David Douděra	Czech Republic	cousins
Juninho Bacuna — Leandro Bacuna	Curaçao	brothers
Sontje Hansen — Arjany Martha	Curaçao	cousins
Laros Duarte — Deroy Duarte	Cape Verde	brothers
Théo Hernandez — Lucas Hernandez	France	brothers
Petar Sučić — Luka Sučić	Croatia	cousins
Quinten Timber — Jurriën Timber	Netherlands	twin brothers