Catholics from each FIFA World Cup Nation 2026

Host Countries

• Canada | Cardinal Thomas Collins: Archbishop Emeritus of Toronto
• Mexico | Juan Sandoval Íñiguez (b. 1933): Cardinal and Archbishop Emeritus of Guadalajara
• USA | Joe Biden: 46th U.S. President

Qualified Teams

• Algeria | Saint Monica: Mother of Saint Augustine, born in Algeria.
• Argentina | Saint María Antonia de San José (Mama Antula): The first Argentine female saint, canonized in 2024.
• Australia | Rossanna Baini (OAM): Recognized for work with the Lebanese Australian community
• Austria | Maria Theresa (1717–1780): Habsburg empress who heavily supported the Catholic Church.
• Belgium | Sister Emmanuelle Cinquin NDS (Madeleine Cinquin): A Brussels-born nun who became famous for her work with the poor in Egypt.
• Bosnia and Herzegovina | Vinko Cardinal Puljić: Archbishop Emeritus of Vrhbosna (Sarajevo), a key figure in the Church.
• Brazil | Saint Irmã Dulce (1914–1992): Known as the "Mother of the Poor," a Franciscan sister who dedicated her life to charity.
• Cabo Verde | Cardinal Arlindo Gomes Furtado (1949–present): Bishop of Santiago and the first Cape Verdean Cardinal, appointed in 2015.
• Colombia | Darío Castrillón Hoyos (1929–2018): Cardinal, Prefect of the Congregation for Clergy.
• Congo DR | Olive Lembe di Sita: Former First Lady of the DRC, wife of Joseph Kabila, who is Catholic.
• Côte d'Ivoire | Cardinal Jean-Pierre Kutwa (b. 1945): Archbishop Emeritus of Abidjan, a key figure in the Ivorian Church.
• Croatia | Blessed Marija Propetog Isusa Petković: Founder of the Congregation of Sisters of Mercy of Saint Francis.
• Curaçao | Bishop Martinus Joannes Niewindt (1824–1860): A seminal figure, he was the first Apostolic Vicar of Curaçao and a Dutch Roman Catholic missionary. He is noted for his critical role in abolishing slavery (1863), establishing schools and parishes, and introducing the Catholic religion in the Papiamentu language.
• Czechia | Saint Agnes of Bohemia (Anežka Česká): 13th-century princess who founded hospitals and religious orders.
• Ecuador | Saint Mariana de Jesús de Paredes (1618–1645): Known as the "Lily of Quito," she is Ecuador's first saint, recognized for her life of extreme austerity and mysticism.
• Egypt | Nazli Sabri (1894–1978): Queen Consort of Egypt (wife of King Fuad I) who converted to the Catholic Church in 1950, taking the name "Mary Elizabeth".
• England | Gerard Manley Hopkins: Poet and Jesuit priest.
• France | Joan of Arc (1412–1431): Patron saint of France, who led the French army to victory at Orleans.
• Germany | Edith Stein (Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross): 20th-century philosopher and nun.
• Ghana | Kwame Nkrumah: Ghana's first president was baptized as a Roman Catholic.
• Haiti | Chibly Langlois (Cardinal): Elevated in 2014 by Pope Francis, he is the first cardinal from Haiti.
• Iran | Shams Pahlavi (1917–1996): Princess of Iran and elder sister of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran. She converted to Catholicism in the 1940s.
• Iraq | Pascal Esho Warda: Former Minister of Immigration and Refugees in the Iraqi Interim Government
• Japan | Akie Abe: Former First Lady of Japan (wife of Shinzō Abe)
• Jordan | Fouad Twal (b. 1940): A Jordanian Roman Catholic archbishop who served as the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem from 2008 to 2016.
• South Korea | Kim Tae-hee: Prominent actress (baptismal name: Verda).
• Morocco | Jean-Mohammed Abd-el-Jalil (1904–1979): A Moroccan-born Catholic priest and Franciscan friar who converted from Islam. He was a significant figure in interfaith dialogue between Islam and Catholicism.
• Netherlands | Lidwina of Schiedam (1380–1433): A saint known for her extreme suffering and mysticism.
• New Zealand | Suzanne Aubert (Venerable): Founded the Sisters of Compassion, the first Catholic order established in NZ.
• Norway | Janne Haaland Matláry (1957–): Professor of International Politics at Oslo University, politician, and author who converted while a student
• Panama | Anita Moreno (d. 1977): Recognized as a Servant of God by the Catholic Church
• Paraguay | Blessed María Felicia de Jesús Sacramentado (1925–1959): Known as "Chiquitunga," she was a Carmelite nun and the first Paragua-an woman beatified.
• Portugal | Anthony of Padua (1195–1231): Born in Lisbon, he is one of the Catholic Church’s most popular saints and a Franciscan priest.
• Qatar | Rev. Fr. PaulRaj Devaraj, OFM Cap.: The Priest in Charge of Our Lady of the Rosary Church.
• Saudi Arabia | Saint Caleb (6th Century): Ethiopian king associated with the region.
• Scotland | Mary, Queen of Scots (1542–1587): Catholic monarch.
• Senegal | Théodore-Adrien Cardinal Sarr: Archbishop Emeritus of Dakar, a significant figure in the Catholic Church in Senegal.
• South Africa | Blessed Benedict Daswa (1946–1990): A teacher and family man beatified in 2015 for his martyrdom after opposing witchcraft.
• Spain | Saint Ignatius of Loyola (1491–1556): A Basque noble, soldier, and founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits).
• Sweden | Saint Bridget of Sweden (1303–1373): Mystic, founder of the Bridgettine nuns, and patron saint of Europe.
• Switzerland | Saint Peter Canisius (1521–1597): A Jesuit priest who was key to the Counter-Reformation in Germany and Switzerland.
• Tunisia | Blessed Angèle-Marie (Jeanne Littlejohn) (1995): A religious sister born in Tunisia.
• Türkiye | Pope John XXIII (Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli): While not Turkish, he served as the Vatican's Ambassador (Apostolic Delegate) to Turkey for nearly 10 years and is highly significant to Turkish Catholicism, often remembered at Saint Anthony of Padua Church in Istanbul.
• Uruguay | Saint Francesca Rubatto (1844–1904): An Italian religious sister who founded the Capuchin Sisters of Mother Rubatto in1892 in Montevideo; she is considered the first female saint to have worked in Uruguay.
• Uzbekistan | Bishop Jerzy Maculewicz, O.F.M. Conv. (Apostolic Administrator of Uzbekistan since 2005): He leads the Catholic Church in Uzbekistan and oversees the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Tashkent.