Nearly 700 NFL players have been born outside the US: See the data

The NFL is set to host the on-field portion of its 2026 International Player Pathway Pro Day on March 30 in Ashburn, Virginia. Last year, the IPP shared its pro day with the University of South Florida. This year, the event is being held in combination with the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Showcase.

The NFL has a long history of internationally-born players — since the league’s inception in 1920, 699 players from 84 countries outside of the United States have played in the NFL.

The United States’ northern neighbor Canada has generated the most pro players. Per Pro Football Reference data, 138 NFL players have been born in Canada.

That includes L.P. Ladouceur, who spent his entire 16-year career with the Dallas Cowboys and holds the record for most NFL games played by a Canadian. Current Canadian-born players include Carolina’s Chuba Hubbard, who was born in Edmonton.

After Canada, Germany has sent the most players to the NFL, with 88. The most prolific German-born player was kicker Nick Lowery, who played 260 games between 1978 and 1996.

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In third place is the United Kingdom, with 46 players, and in fourth is Jamaica, with 43. Nigeria leads the continent of Africa with 40.

When looking at active players, 99 who suited up in 2025 were born outside of the United States or a U.S. territory. Canada has 22 of that total, followed by Nigeria with 19, and then Australia with seven.

Looking ahead, the IPP Pro Day will feature 11 international players, six of whom are draft eligible and five who enter as free agents. That includes Kansei Matsuzawa, who was born in Japan and taught himself to kick via YouTube before making 27 of 29 field goal attempts at the University of Hawaii.

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