The 2024/25 UEFA Champions League season concluded on Saturday with French giants Paris Saint-Germain lifting the trophy for the first time in their history. The final, held at the Allianz Arena in Munich, marked the end of the inaugural campaign under the competition’s new format, which replaced the traditional group stage with a single league phase. With the number of participating teams expanded from 24 to 32, each club played more matches than in previous seasons. While finalists in the old format had to go through 6 group games and 6 knockout fixtures before the final, PSG were involved in 17 matches en route to their historic triumph.
Against this backdrop, Sportingpedia investigated the number of nationalities represented and analysed which countries had the strongest presence in the tournament – not only by number of registered players but also by total minutes played. A total of 1,103 footballers from 80 different countries were named in team squads for the 2024/25 Champions League. Of these, seven nations had more than 50 players each, all of them European: Spain (92), France (89), Germany (79), Netherlands (67), England (66), Italy (64), and Portugal (62). Including Brazil, the highest-ranked non-European nation with 43 players, the top eight countries accounted for 560 footballers, surpassing the combined total of the other 72 nations (543).
UEFA Champions League Key Takeaways:
- A total of 1,103 players from 80 countries were registered in the competition
- Spain had the most players in the 2024/25 Champions League with 92 representatives
- Footballers from France led all nations in total minutes played with 37,437, nearly 10,000 more than Germany in second
- Brazil was the highest-ranked non-European country by both player count (8th) and minutes played (5th)
- Four nations had players registered but recorded zero minutes: Australia, South Africa, Wales, and Bulgaria
- Japan was Asia’s top contributor with 11 players, while Morocco led Africa with 12
- The United States outpaced Serbia and Uruguay in total minutes played with 5,232
- The top 8 countries by player count contributed more players than the remaining 72 nations combined (560 vs 543)
- 22 nations had only one player registered
Top 20 countries with the most players in the UEFA Champions League – 2024/25 season
European nations overwhelmingly dominated the 2024/25 Champions League in terms of player representation. Spain led all countries with 92 players, followed by France (89) and Germany (79) – cementing their status as the core exporters of footballing talent to the competition. The Netherlands (67), England (66), Italy (64), and Portugal (62) also surpassed the 60-player mark, making it seven European countries with more than 50 representatives. Belgium (36), Switzerland (34), and Croatia (33) rounded out the continent’s top 10, with a total of 18 European nations represented among the 20 countries with the most players.
Outside Europe, Brazil was the highest-ranked nation, placing eighth overall with 41 players, while Argentina came in 13th with 23. These two South American powerhouses were the only non-European countries to crack the top 20, while traditional footballing nations like Uruguay and Colombia had 8 players each.
Africa’s strongest contributor in the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League was Morocco, which had 12 players involved. Nigeria and Mali followed with 9 each, while Ghana, Senegal, Algeria, and Cote d’Ivoire each had 6 representatives, confirming North and West Africa as the continent’s main talent sources.
Japan topped Asian representation with 11 players, trailed by South Korea (6) and Iran (1). From CONCACAF, the United States stood out with 14 players, ahead of Canada (4), Mexico (2), and Costa Rica (1).
At the other end of the spectrum, 18 countries had only one or two players involved – often contributing under 100 minutes combined. These included Libya, Zambia, and Honduras among others. Their presence, although minimal, is a testament to the growing globalisation of elite European football.
Top 20 countries by total UEFA Champions League minutes in 2024/25 season
While player count reveals which countries had the most representation in the Champions League, game time tells a different story – one of trust, impact, and consistency on the pitch. French players spent more time on the field than any other nationality, amassing a total of 37,437 minutes. Germany followed with 27,595 minutes, while Spain came third with 26,946. These three nations were the only ones whose representatives accumulated over 25,000 minutes and clearly led the tournament in terms of on-pitch presence. The Netherlands followed as the next-best contributor with 24,172 minutes, reflecting their strong development pipeline despite having fewer players than the top three.
Brazilian players ranked fifth in total minutes with 19,725
Brazil was the only non-European nation among the top ten in this metric. England (17,616), Belgium (16,975), Italy (16,051), and Portugal (16,037), all surpassed the 16,000-minute mark, while Switzerland completes the top 10 with 13,991 minutes.
Argentina stood out among South American nations beyond Brazil, with its players totalling 11,064 minutes – good enough for 11th place overall. In Central and Eastern Europe, Croatia (8,566), Ukraine (7,459), and the Czech Republic (4,795) all had a notable presence. Denmark (7,096), Poland (6,600), and Austria (6,589) led the way among the smaller Western and Northern European countries.
Beyond Europe and South America, Morocco led African nations with 4,453 minutes, while Japan ranked highest among Asian countries with 3,940. Footballers from the United States recorded 5,232 minutes, just behind Norway (5,395), with both nations outperforming traditional footballing countries like the Czech Republic (4,795), and Serbia (4,623).
In summary, European powerhouses dominated not only in squad registration numbers but also in the distribution of game time, with Brazil and Argentina leading the way for the rest of the world.
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