World Cup family ties: seven sets of brothers add a sibling twist

Seven pairs of brothers are part of this World Cup story, with four sets split between different national teams and three pairs sharing the same squad. The most eye-catching possible matchup is Desire Doue for France against Guela Doue for Ivory Coast, if both teams land in the right last-32 path.

The Doue brothers underline how modern international football can turn family backgrounds into tournament subplots. Desire represents France and plays for Paris St-Germain, while Guela represents Ivory Coast and plays for Strasbourg; their paths nearly crossed in a pre-tournament friendly, but Desire did not come off the bench.

They are not alone. The Williams brothers are separated internationally, with Nico linked to Spain and Inaki to Ghana, while Harry Souttar is with Australia and John Souttar with Scotland. Ghana’s Derrick Luckassen and Netherlands forward Brian Brobbey are another half-brother pairing on different sides of the draw.

There are also brothers sharing national colours: Laros and Deroy Duarte featured for Cape Verde in a notable draw with Spain, Curaçao included Leandro and Juninho Bacuna, and France have Lucas and Theo Hernandez in their squad. For editors and fans, the theme is bigger than novelty: it reflects migration, eligibility, family identity and the emotional complications of football’s biggest tournament.