Blackburn Rovers are alongside the 43 other sides in the first two tiers of English football, and some League One sides, have players eligible to compete in the upcoming World Cup 2026.
The FIFA World Cup 2026, which is being played across Canada, Mexico and the United States of America, has 43 countries who have qualified for the Cup this year.
Set to start on Thursday 11 June, the cup lasts until Sunday 19 July, where the finalists play in New York at the New Jersey Stadium with a kick-off at 20:00.
Rovers have a selection of players from different countries who are eligible to compete in the Youth Teams alongside the countries first team.
English striker Harvey Higgins attracted attention in the Winter transfer window off Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool however signed his first professional football contract with Blackburn Rovers back in February.
Higgins signed a two and a half year deal at Ewood Park, with the option of extending it for 12 months.
He is a favourite for featuring in the England squad team sheet on the substitutes list after he made a Rovers U23 appearance at just aged 15, and an England U17 feature.
Rovers are currently managed by Northern Ireland‘s International side’s manager, Michael O’Neill.
Although Northern Ireland have not qualified, they have still got players who are managed off Michael O’Neill for Blackburn who have featured in the World Cup Qualifiers.
Tom Atcheson, who plays in defence for Blackburn, featured in the qualifiers for Northern Ireland under his club manager. He made his senior international debut in March.
Northern Ireland also have a select few of the youngsters amongst the usual matchday squad who have featured for their youth sides.
Meanwhile across the world, Australia, who are in Group D, have fan favourite Lewis Miller confirmed for their squad. However, Miller will not feature in their starting 11 and will instead be benched as he had suffered from a ruptured Achilles tendon, ruling him out for the rest of the EFL Championship season
The 26 year old right-back has been playing at Ewood for just over a year on a three year deal, with an option to extend for another 12 months. He has been playing for Australia’s National side for three years after coming through their youth side in 2022.
Rovers also have two squad regulars who might be featuring for Japan.
Fan favourite Yuki Ohashi and Ryoya Morishita could be featured in the starting 11 for Japan.
Ohashi, the 29 year old forward, has been at Rovers since 2024 and has scored 17 goals in 76 appearances.
He made his first country debut for Japan on 15 November 2024, the year he was bought from Sanfrecce Hiroshima, where he scored 11 goals in just a year.
