Question: are world cup players citizens of their country

Answer: No, As the governing body of association football, FIFA is responsible for maintaining and implementing the rules that determine whether an association football player is eligible to represent a particular country in officially recognised international competitions and friendly matches. In the 20th century, FIFA allowed a player to represent any national team, as long as the player held citizenship of that country. In 2004, in reaction to the growing trend towards naturalisation of foreign players in some countries, FIFA implemented a significant new ruling that requires a player to demonstrate a ``clear connection'' to any country they wish to represent. FIFA has used its authority to overturn results of competitive international matches that feature ineligible players.