The Road to Russia

Ahead of the World Cup, a tournament that promises to be full of goals and drama with the whole world watching, we at BetVictor have decided to turn the spotlight on the teams and leagues that are providing the talent this summer.

The final 736 players have been confirmed for Russia 2018, with each of the 32 nations now pinning their hopes to their 23 man squads.

We wanted to know, where those players have come from, where they’ve been and what their story meant for their Road to Russia.

The home of the world’s biggest clubs, in terms of both global support and revenue. Every week, games from the Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga and Serie A are beamed out to audiences across the world. This summer, those leagues make up 42% of the players on show.

Coming in second is the Spanish La Liga. El Classico giants Real Madrid (15) and Barcelona (14) are sending 29 players between them.

Amazingly, despite Italy’s failure to qualify for their first world cup finals in 60 years, Serie A is still proving bountiful ahead of the World Cup. The Italian league is sending close to the same amount as the Bundesliga, and its champions Juventus mirror the league's cosmopolitan flavour by sending 10 seasoned internationals to Russia.

Only Manchester City (16), Real Madrid (15), Barcelona (13), Tottenham (12) and PSG (11) have sent more players to the World Cup than the Old Lady.

While the blue half of Manchester can claim bragging rights, the Red Devils match them for English talent with four a piece – so the honours are evenly shared if the Lions go all the way.

Over on Merseyside, it’s Liverpool who trumps Everton with 7 internationals to 3. While Sadio Mane and Idrissa Gana Gueye will be putting their rivalry aside for Senegal, you can expect things to heat up with Gylfi Sigurdsson and Dejan Lovern when they meet in their group stage match between Iceland and Croatia.

In North London, there has been something of a power shift in recent seasons, Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs have overtaken Arsenal and Chelsea in the league standings. They are one of Europe’s most exciting prospects, and their squad reflects that – Spurs are sending 12 players to the World Cup, just shading Chelsea’s 11 and Arsenal’s 7.

Perhaps surprisingly, the Premier League’s relegated teams have made a considerable contribution to the World Cup. Despite their form, Stoke (5), Swansea (4) and West Brom (4) have sent a combined 13 players to the World Cup.

Over in La Liga, the relegated Deportivo de La Coruña (5) is the 5th biggest talent provider behind Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Sevilla.

Outside of the biggest European leagues, there are plenty making big contributions to the World Cup. For example, like England, Saudi Arabia is providing a full 23-man squad of domestic players.

France’s Ligue 1 shows its increasing strength spearheaded by PSG’s financial might, the French division is enhancing its footballing credentials with 46 players making the cut. 35% of France’s national side comes from Ligue 1, including wonder kid Kylian Mbappé and the mercurial Nabil Fekir who have both had standout seasons.

The Russian Premier League has seen its influence grow too, while the Russian national side is largely made up of domestic players, the league is now showing a good amount of diversity. Players from Sweden, Nigeria, Croatia and Peru are all making the step up to represent their country this summer.

Wherever you’re tuning into the 2018 World Cup, expand your knowledge with our player database and reveal how your club has contributed this summer.

For the best Russia World Cup 2018 offers, visit BetVictor.com for the latest odds and promotions.