A total of 128 countries have been represented in the Premier League since its inception in 1992.
Of the 211 national associations recognised by Fifa, 83 nations are yet to feature in England’s top-flight.
Some of the world’s most populous nations have never had a Premier League player, including Ethiopia, India, Myanmar, Sudan, Thailand, Uganda and Vietnam.
Six of the seven continents have been represented in the Premier League, with Antarctica the only continent not to feature.
England is the most represented country in the league with 1,736 players, followed by France (242), Scotland (218), Republic of Ireland (209), Spain (172), Netherlands (155), Wales (135) and Brazil (125).
Haiti is the newest country to feature in the Premier League after Wolves’ Jean-Ricner Bellegarde switched international allegiance from France.
Armenia, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Malta, Kenya, Tanzania, Central African Republic and Mozambique have all only had one national play in the division.
Suriname, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Iraq, Oman, Pakistan, Phillipines, Syria and Uzbekistan are the others with one sole representative.
Is it easy to switch national teams?
With a population of over one billion residents, India is yet to produce a Premier League footballer. Yet its neighbouring countries, Pakistan and Bangladesh, have both had players represent them in the Premier League.
Former Fulham defender Zesh Rehman played for Pakistan between 2005 and 2019 and recently Leicester City’s Hamza Choudhury switched allegiances to Bangladesh following England youth caps.
While encouraging players to play at international level for their heritage nation is one route to earning representation in the Premier League, it is often complicated.
For example, India has a citizenship act which does not allow dual citizenship and overseas citizens of India are banned from representing the country at sporting events since 2008. It means only Indian passport holders are eligible to compete for the country, so any footballer would have to revoke their current citizenship.
Former Australia and Fulham forward Ryan Williams, who never made a Premier League appearance, took that step in 2025 by revoking his Australian citizenship and obtaining a ‘No Objection Certificate’ from Australia’s football federation to ratify the move.
A player can switch nationality if they have heritage linking them to the country and be eligible to play. This includes being born in the country, or having parents or grandparents born or living in the country for at least five continuous years after the age of 18.
How can an overseas player join the Premier League?
All non-UK footballers need a working visa before they can play professionally in the country. This is done through a points-based system, which determines whether a player will make a significant contribution to English football.
The sport visa takes into account the number of international appearances a player has made, the amount of minutes they have recorded in a top league, and a club’s league position.
Generally a player is automatically awarded a visa if their national team is in the top 50 Fifa ranked nations.
Applicants are required to have made a certain number of international appearances over a 24-month period in order for this to be approved.
For instance, a player, from one of the top-10 ranked countries, has to have played 30% of matches in that time in order for an auto pass. That extends to 40% of international games and above for countries ranked 11-20, 60% and above for ranks 21-30 and 70% and above for ranks 31 and 50.
Outside of the top 50 world rankings, it becomes very difficult for a player to be eligible for a visa. For example, as India is currently 142nd in the men’s Fifa rankings, an Indian player must have played 80-100% of their national team matches in a two-year period to collect points.
Which country is close to having a Premier League player?
A number of nations are on the periphery of achieving representation in the Premier League, including Mauritius.
West Ham’s Gabriel Caliste, who has nine international caps, will make history for the island should he feature for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side in the top-flight.
A number of players with dual-nationality could also write their names in the history books should they choose to not to play for England’s senior team.
Arsenal’s Marli Salmon also has Mauritian heritage, while Chelsea’s Ryan Kavuma-McQueen and Manchester City’s Divine Mukasa both have Ugandan heritage.
This article is the latest from BBC Sport’s Ask Me Anything team.
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