Imagine watching your two sons take the field — on opposite sides — at a FIFA World Cup. Four sets of siblings are set to do exactly that at the 2026 tournament, testing family bonds on the grandest stage in football.

The Doue brothers: France vs Ivory Coast

The most intriguing sibling rivalry belongs to Desire and Guela Doue, born in Angers to a French mother and an Ivorian father. Desire, 21, represents France and plays for Paris St-Germain, while his older brother Guela, 23, turns out for Ivory Coast with Strasbourg.

The pair share an unusually tight bond. "We tell each other everything and have no secrets," Desire told French television programme Telefoot. "He's such a massive support for me in my daily life."

A direct meeting is possible. Should France finish as runners-up in Group I and Ivory Coast do the same in Group E, the brothers would face each other in the last-32 stage in Arlington, Texas, on 30 June.

A preview of that scenario came in a pre-tournament friendly on 4 June, when Ivory Coast defeated France 2-1. Guela sang both national anthems before kick-off — Desire, fresh from winning the Champions League with PSG five days earlier, did not feature from the bench. "It's a shame I didn't get to play against [my brother], as this was our first France-Ivory Coast match," Guela said, "but I'm happy, and he isn't too fed up."

There has been only one previous instance of siblings facing each other at a World Cup — and it happened in back-to-back tournaments. Jerome Boateng of Germany met his older half-brother Kevin Prince of Ghana in Johannesburg in 2010, with Germany winning 1-0. Four years later in Brazil, the pair were on opposite sides again when their group match finished 2-2.

The Williams brothers: Spain vs Ghana

Inaki and Nico Williams were both born in the Basque Country and play club football together at Atletico Bilbao. On the international stage, however, they part ways. Nico, 23, was named player of the match when Spain beat England in the European Championship final two years ago. Inaki, 32, represents Ghana.

The Souttar brothers: Australia vs Scotland

Harry Souttar, 27, is a centre-back who was born in Aberdeen and represents Australia, while his older brother John, 29, is in Scotland's squad. Their mother Heather is Australian, and Harry played for Scotland at youth level before switching allegiance in 2019. John made his Scotland debut at 21, having first appeared for Dundee United at 16. Harry captained Australia in their opening 2-0 group-stage victory over Turkey.

Brobbey and Luckassen: Netherlands vs Ghana

Ghana's Dutch-born defender Derrick Luckassen, 30, and his half-brother Brian Brobbey, 24, who plays as a striker for Sunderland, are both at the tournament representing different nations. The pair share the same mother but have different fathers. Brobbey came on as a late substitute for the Netherlands in their opening 2-2 draw with Japan.

Brothers on the same side

Beyond the cross-nation sibling pairings, three further sets of brothers are representing the same country. Laros Duarte, 29, started for Cape Verde against Spain on 17 June and was replaced in the 61st minute in Atlanta by his younger brother Deroy, 26. The Blue Sharks earned a remarkable point, holding the 2010 world champions to a goalless draw. "We saw our parents cry," Laros said. "The feeling is difficult to describe, it's just something you dream of."

Curacao — the smallest nation by size and population ever to appear at a World Cup — included former Aston Villa midfielder Leandro Bacuna, 34, and his brother Juninho, 28, once of Birmingham City and Rangers. The pair played together in a 7-1 defeat to Germany on 14 June, having briefly dared to dream after equalising. "It's one thing that we always wished for — when we were kids we dreamed of playing together in one team on one pitch," Juninho said.

France, meanwhile, have Lucas Hernandez, 30, and Theo Hernandez, 28, in their squad, playing their club football at Paris St-Germain and Al Hilal respectively. Coach Didier Deschamps acknowledged the unique dynamic when the brothers started together for Les Bleus for the first time in 2021. "They have this family bond," Deschamps said. "This does not mean that it changes anything, but I will be dealing with two players who have this connection."