Brotherly battles at the World Cup: Four sets of siblings playing for different nations

The World Cup is not just about football, but also family drama. This year, four sets of siblings are playing for opposing teams, creating potential clashes that could test family bonds.

One of the most intriguing pairs is Désiré Doué (21) and Guela Doué (23). Désiré plays for France, while Guela represents Ivory Coast. Born in Angers, France, to a French mother and Ivorian father, Désiré won the Champions League with PSG last season, while Guela plays for Strasbourg. If France and Ivory Coast both finish second in their groups, they could meet in the round of 32 on June 30.

Another famous duo is Iñaki and Nico Williams. Iñaki (32) plays for Ghana, while Nico (23) represents Spain. Both are Basque-born and play together at Athletic Bilbao. Nico was named player of the match in the European Championship final two years ago.

Australia are represented by defender Harry Souttar (27), whose brother John (29) plays for Scotland. Their mother is Australian, and Harry previously played for Scotland at youth level before switching allegiance in 2019. Harry captained Australia to a 2-0 win over Turkey in their opening group game.

Ghana's squad includes Derrick Luckassen (30), who is a half-brother of Netherlands striker Brian Brobbey (24). They share the same mother but have different fathers. Brobbey came on as a substitute in the Netherlands' opening 2-2 draw with Japan.

In addition to these four pairs, there are three more sets of brothers representing the same nation: Laros and Deroy Duarte (Cape Verde), Leandro and Juninho Bacuna (Curaçao), and Lucas and Theo Hernandez (France). Previous sibling rivalries at World Cups include Jerome Boateng (Germany) against his half-brother Kevin-Prince Boateng (Ghana) in 2010 and 2014.