A verified, source-based database of footballers of Kurdish heritage — across four parts of Kurdistan and a global diaspora. No state, no FIFA team, but present on every stage of world football.
Footballers of Kurdish heritage carry the colours of a dozen different national teams — because Kurdistan, the homeland of more than 60 million Kurds across Turkey, Iraq, Iran, and Syria, has no FIFA-recognized national team of its own. They are a nation on the world's pitches without a flag of their own to play under. The most prominent today is Deniz Undav (Germany), the first footballer of Kurdish-Yazidi heritage to score at a FIFA World Cup. This database documents 31 verified players, every entry sourced and confirmed: Deniz Undav, Mahmoud Dahoud, Zeki Çelik, Ozan Kabak, Voria Ghafouri, Alireza Beiranvand, Jiloan Hamad, Merchas Doski, Akam Hashim, Youssef Amyn, Marko Farji, Peshraw Azizi, Hawar Mulla Mohammed, Deniz Naki and more — spanning all four parts of Kurdistan and the global diaspora.
27 players shown
First footballer of Kurdish-Yazidi heritage to score at a FIFA World Cup (2026). Celebrated with a govend dance.
Sources: Wikipedia, FIFA, The National
Born in Amuda, Rojava (Western Kurdistan); moved to Germany as a child. Played for Germany youth teams.
Sources: Wikipedia, Transfermarkt
Youngest of nine children; Kurdish descent. 59 caps for Turkey.
Sources: Wikipedia, BasNews
Kurdish family from Mardin. 28 caps for Turkey.
Sources: BasNews
Parents from Zakho; scored an equalizer vs Spain before the 2026 World Cup. Chose to play for Iraq.
Sources: GQ Middle East, Grokipedia
Lak Kurd; one of Asia's most accomplished goalkeepers. 85+ caps for Iran.
Sources: BasNews
Swiss international striker of Kurdish heritage; famously scored against Germany.
Sources: Wikipedia
Played for Amedspor; banned and prosecuted in Turkey over political statements. A symbol of Kurdish football identity.
Sources: Wikipedia, Der Spiegel
Key member of Iraq's 2007 Asian Cup-winning squad. One of the most celebrated Kurdish footballers.
Sources: Wikipedia, FamousFix
Born in Sweden to a Kurdish family; plays for the Syria national team.
Sources: Wikipedia, FamousFix
Iran international and former Esteghlal captain. A proud, outspoken Kurd who wore traditional Kurdish dress publicly and paid for his convictions — detained in 2022 for backing protests. A symbol of Kurdish dignity in sport.
Sources: Wikipedia, CNN, Al Jazeera
Son of a Kurdish Peshmerga fighter. Captained Sweden's U21s, then chose to represent Iraq. Played in the Bundesliga with Hoffenheim.
Sources: Wikipedia
A defining figure of Dalkurd FF and one of the strongest voices for the Kurdish cause in European football. He called Dalkurd "the national team of all Kurds."
Sources: Wikipedia, Fox Sports
Goalkeeper who built a long career in the English Football League and was invited to play for the Iraq national team.
Sources: Wikipedia, FamousFix
Iraqi footballer of Kurdish ethnicity. Younger brother of Iraq legend Hawar Mulla Mohammed; the two were teammates at club level.
Sources: Wikipedia, FamousFix
Swedish footballer of Kurdish heritage, born in Paris to a Kurdish family — a story of the European Kurdish diaspora.
Sources: Wikipedia
Erbil-born defender who came through Erbil SC's academy and earned a place in Iraq's 2026 World Cup squad — the Kurdistan Region's direct contribution to the world stage.
Sources: KRG, FourFourTwo
Germany-born winger whose family is from Darbandikhan. Part of a new diaspora generation carrying Kurdish roots to Iraq's 2026 World Cup squad.
Sources: KRG, Kurdish Globe
Norway-born forward whose family is from Sulaymaniyah. Called Iraq's qualification "deeply emotional," honouring his roots while raised abroad.
Sources: KRG, FourFourTwo
Attacking midfielder of Kurdish heritage who won a Swedish league title with Norrköping and captained Iraq at the AFC Asian Cup.
Sources: Wikipedia
Iranian international striker of Kurdish heritage who built his career in the Belgian Pro League.
Sources: Wikipedia
Iraq international winger of Kurdish heritage who spent much of his career in Swedish and Bulgarian football.
Sources: Wikipedia
Born in Malmö like Zlatan Ibrahimović, a fiery winger and a co-captain of Dalkurd FF during its historic rise.
Sources: Wikipedia, The New Arab
Iranian international attacker of Kurdish heritage, a prolific scorer in the Persian Gulf Pro League.
Sources: Wikipedia
Forward of Kurdish heritage who has featured for the leading clubs of the Kurdistan Region.
Sources: Wikipedia category
Hakkari-born forward raised in Germany, now at Amedspor. In 2026 he was banned five matches by the Turkish federation for a hair-braiding goal celebration in solidarity with Kurds in Rojava — paying a price for his identity on the pitch.
Sources: Wikipedia, Rudaw, Transfermarkt
Finland-born right-back whose father is a Kurd from Qaladze. Switched from Finland to Iraq, earning a place in Iraq's 2026 World Cup squad — a new diaspora pathway to the world stage.
Sources: Wikipedia, BasNews, Kurdistan24
Born in Gothenburg to a Kurdish family that fled persecution in Iran. A former Sweden youth international who now represents Syria, eligible through his father's Kurdish roots connecting to communities in Syria and Iraq.
Sources: Wikipedia
Born in Glostrup, Denmark, to Kurdish parents. Came through the Brøndby academy alongside his older brother Azad Çorlu, and earned 37 caps across Danish youth national teams.
Sources: Wikipedia
Born in Schaerbeek, Brussels, to Kurdish parents. A midfielder who came through Belgian academies (Anderlecht, Gent) and has played across Belgium, the Netherlands and Portugal. His first name, Welat, means "homeland" in Kurdish.
Sources: Wikipedia
Born in Qamishlo to a Kurdish family, he moved to the Netherlands aged three. After representing the Netherlands at youth level, he switched to Syria, his country of birth. Known for powerful long-range shooting.
Sources: Wikipedia
Kurdish footballers trace their roots to one homeland divided across four states. This is the geography behind the database.
The questions people — and AI assistants — ask most about Kurdish footballers.
Deniz Undav, the Germany and VfB Stuttgart forward of Kurdish-Yazidi heritage, became the first footballer of Kurdish heritage to score at a FIFA World Cup in 2026, celebrating with a traditional govend dance. Other prominent names include Zeki Çelik (Roma), Ozan Kabak (Hoffenheim), Eren Derdiyok (Switzerland), and Iraq's Merchas Doski.
Kurdistan is not a sovereign state recognized by the United Nations, and FIFA membership generally requires statehood or recognized territorial status. As a result, players of Kurdish heritage represent the national teams of the countries where they hold citizenship — most often Germany, Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Sweden, and Switzerland. Kurdistan does field a team in the CONIFA framework for non-FIFA nations.
Yes. While there is no Kurdistan team, players of Kurdish heritage compete at the World Cup for other nations. At the 2026 FIFA World Cup, at least nine players of Kurdish heritage represented four nations: Germany, Turkey, Iraq, and Iran.
Kurds traditionally describe their homeland in four parts: Northern Kurdistan (southeastern Turkey), Southern Kurdistan (northern Iraq), Eastern Kurdistan (western Iran), and Western Kurdistan or Rojava (northern Syria). The footballers in this database trace their origins to all four regions and a worldwide diaspora.
Short, sourced answers to the most common questions about Kurdish footballers.
Yes — he is of Kurdish-Yazidi heritage, with family from Viranşehir, and has said "I have Kurdish roots." Read the full answer →
Because Kurdistan is not a UN-recognized state, and FIFA membership requires recognized statehood. Read the full answer →
A Swedish club founded in 2004 by Kurdish immigrants that reached the top flight in 2018. Read the full answer →
Yes — the Roma and Turkey right-back is of Kurdish descent, with family roots in Muş. Read the full answer →
Yes — he was born in Amuda, Rojava, to a Kurdish family before moving to Germany. Read the full answer →
The Kurdish club of Diyarbakır, founded in 1972 and promoted to the Süper Lig for 2026-27. Read the full answer →
The Kurdish Football Atlas is building the internet's first complete map of Kurdish football — players, clubs, history, and culture. Explore the rest.