Maximum number of countries you could represent?

[soggy biscuit]

Was reading earlier about players who have to make a choice of which country they play for when they have dual nationality etc and started to wonder what the most extreme situation could be meaning you have the most countries to choose from.

Maik Taylor's situation sprung to mind (he had a choice of 5 national teams) but that rule seems to have changed now.

I believe being born in the Channel Islands means you have a choice of the 4 home nations. Then they could live in another country for 5 years and get citizenship meaning they are eligible there too which means that person alone has created a choice of 5 countries for themselves.

What other places can you be born which leads to more than 1 choice of national team? what about if parents or grandparents have dual nationality?

A challenge for HNA.

Additional - needs to be FIFA Affiliated countries otherwise it would get silly
Additional additional - yes I am bored today

[barelylubedcock]

My brother met Maik Taylor. Both of them served in REME.

[barelylubedcock]

Actually, if the ex's brother had been any good/not ski-ed off a cliff at 14 and left walking like Keyser Soyze, he could have played for 3 countries - Spain, Italy and Israel, plus he would have been Basque if they ever decide not be part of Spain.

So I guess the putative offspring of me and the ex would have been 4 countries, plus the Basque representative side.

[Stuka]

I know a couple, an Englishman and a Polish woman.

They moved to Northern Ireland.

Their son could play for either England, Poland, Republic of Ireland, or Northern Ireland.

Say if he married a half Turk half Finish lady, and they had a kid in Germany, than that kid could play for all of them too!

[From Despair To Where?]

I can represent 4 countries

Scotland (paternal grandmother's birthplace)
England (dad's Birthplace)
Ireland (Mum's birthplace)
Wales (my birthplace)

My nephew trumps that

England (his birthplace)
Wales (mum's birthplace)
Ireland (maternal grandmother's birthplace)
Greece (paternal grandmother's birthplace)
Italy (paternal grandfather's birthplace)

and as for my daughter:

England (her birthpace)
Wales (dad's birthplace)
Zambia (mum's birthplace)
Ireland (paternal grandmother's birthplace)
Germany (maternal grandmother's birthplace)
Scotland (matenal grandfather's birthplace)

[YateleyRoyal]

Just 3 for me:

England (parent's birthplace and my nationality)
ROI (maternal grandfather)
Saudi Arabia (my place of birth)

[The Cube]

Just two for me:

England (birthplace, parents' birthplace, grandparents' birthplace, nationality, residency, etc.)
Republic of Ireland (because they cheat)

[Stuka]

I can represent 4 countries

Scotland (paternal grandmother's birthplace)
England (dad's Birthplace)
Ireland (Mum's birthplace)
Wales (my birthplace)

My nephew trumps that

England (his birthplace)
Wales (mum's birthplace)
Ireland (maternal grandmother's birthplace)
Greece (paternal grandmother's birthplace)
Italy (paternal grandfather's birthplace)

and as for my daughter:

England (her birthpace)
Wales (dad's birthplace)
Zambia (mum's birthplace)
Ireland (paternal grandmother's birthplace)
Germany (maternal grandmother's birthplace)
Scotland (matenal grandfather's birthplace)

Nice combos. I think if your daughter or nephew moved to a whole new country when they were young enough, and became naturalised they could play for them too!

[peterroyal76]

One, my Nan was welsh, but as I was born in England and that's it for me.
Although I have visited ireland once they would probably be happy for me to play for them.

[Ian Royal]

Just England. Although I'm one generation removed from being able to play for Germany. Unless my Maternal Grandfather held dual nationality.

[6ft Kerplunk]

Just England for me. Kerplunk Jnrs can turn out for Malaysia due to Mrs K's mum having been born out there. But she's Scottish (Scottish parents) really so think if things go really bad they can play for them too?

[Stuka]

England for me, but England, USA, Germany, Czech Rep, and Israel for my future, imaginary, spawn (assuming grandparents' nationalities can get you in - they probably can't).

Grandparents country of birth does seem to count.

[reading_fan]

Just England (3 out of 4 grandparents) and Scotland (maternal grandmother) for me

[just some bloke]

Saudi Arabia (my place of birth)

Wouldn't be much fun. Even if you won the World Cup with them, there'd be no champagne.

[just some bloke]

My son could conceivably represent England, Japan or the United States. I believe that is the most geographically diverse list yet on this thread - three different continents.

However, he first needs to start showing the slightest interest in football, which to date at age 6 he is yet to do.

[tulip]

My son has English mother, Spanish father and was born and bred in Holland, could play for all three.
Which would he choose? Spain ofcourse!

[RoyalChicagoFC]

Well I can prove ancestry to each of the home n8ions with the exception of Wales

Athough I've got to reckon the "Scots-Irish" distinction may be kinda hazy to anybody inspecting credentials at that end of things, so NI may in fact be a no

Plus RoI and Deutschland fer sher

And direct ancestry to Irish Quebecois, so throw in the opportunity to join in failed Canadian pursuits of WC berths as long as I'm able-bodied, eh

But then I don't know the UK/EU/Canadian laws having to do with citizenship, and my last ones to arrive here got in during the CiviLOL War

So perhaps five or six, and maybe seven at the limit

And at the very least one

[sputnik]

I could be wrong here, but I believe grandparents country of birth would be a qualifier but not a nationality that they later acquired.

[Big Ern]

I could represent England, Switzerland or Austria...however Little Ern could represent those 3 plus Mexico, Colombia and Venezuela.

[Thomas L'Heureux]

Canada and England, although I could probably loosely include France in that too I guess, much to Spacey's anger.