125 international players, and France is No. 1

Oct 20, 2026

125 players, 43 countries

Opening-night rosters include 125 international players from 43 countries, tying the record for countries represented.

France passes Canada

France has 17 players to Canada’s 16, ending Canada’s 12-season run on top. Australia is next with nine.

Europe leads the way

Seventy of the 125 are European. Germany has seven, and Nigeria and Serbia have six each, a record for Nigeria.

A record 19 All-Stars

A record 19 international players on opening-night rosters have been All-Stars, from Giannis Antetokounmpo to Victor Wembanyama.

Every team has one

All 30 teams have at least one international player. Dallas, Miami and Washington lead with seven each.

Eight straight MVPs

A player born or raised outside the U.S. has won MVP in each of the last eight seasons, most recently Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Photo credit

Victor Wembanyama playing for France in July 2024. Photo by Pierre.berendes, CC-BY-SA-4.0, resized.

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