The recent focus on goals from set pieces has increased the importance of having a tall team, or at least making sure your team aren’t all several inches shorter than their opponents.
With the 2026 World Cup underway, MyBettingSites.co.uk have worked alongside our friends at Betarades to find out exactly who the tallest and shortest teams competing are.
Shortest Team at the 2026 World Cup – Saudi Arabia
Four years ago, in Qatar, it was Saudi Arabia who were shown to have the shortest team at the tournament, with an average height of 178.7cm.
Our research shows that little has changed in that time, despite an additional 16 teams taking part. The average height of a Saudi player at the 2026 World Cup has actually decreased slightly, to 178.42cm – roughly 5’10” – so it may prove fruitful to back their opponents in Group H to excel from corners.
A look further down the list of shortest teams initially suggests it could be a real disadvantage to have a smaller than average team, given South Africa and Qatar, sit just behind Saudi Arabia.
However next on our shortest team rankings are World Cup holders Argentina, plus Colombia and Mexico who all started their 2026 campaigns with a victory.
| Rank | Country | Average Height (cm) |
| 1 | Saudi Arabia | 178.42 |
| 2 | South Africa | 178.68 |
| 3 | Qatar | 179.38 |
| 4 | Argentina | 179.42 |
| 5 | Colombia | 180.00 |
| 6 | Mexico | 180.04 |
| 7 | Ecuador | 180.54 |
| 8 | Jordan | 180.69 |
| 9 | Egypt | 180.77 |
| 10 | Uruguay | 181.12 |
Tallest Team in the 2026 World Cup – Norway
The tallest teams at the 2022 World Cup were Serbia, with an average height of 187cm. However their failure to qualify in 2026 has opened up top spot for a new nation, and it’s Norway who have edged Bosnia out in the race to be our World Cup giants.
Also notable is how dominant European countries are in our list. The entire top 10 is made up of European countries, with Tunisia the highest-ranked non-European country in 12th place.
| Rank | Country | Average Height (cm) |
| 1 | Norway | 187.38 |
| 2 | Bosnia & Herzegovina | 187.00 |
| 3 | Germany | 186.62 |
| 4 | Sweden | 186.19 |
| 5 | Belgium | 185.88 |
| 6 | Czechia | 185.73 |
| 7 | England | 185.38 |
| 8 | Switzerland | 185.23 |
| 9 | Netherlands | 185.12 |
| 10 | Austria | 184.96 |
Where do England’s players rank?
As we’ve mentioned, European countries have a stranglehold over our list of the tallest World Cup players.
England slot in at seventh position, which has already proved handy when Harry Kane headed in a Declan Rice corner against Croatia.
Shortest World Cup Player – Cesar Yanis
One man who will be desperate to prove that size doesn’t matter at the 2026 is Panama’s Cesar Yanis. The 30 year old winger stands at just 160cm, or 5’3″, and was an unused substitute in Panama’s opening game against Ghana.
Yanis has made over 50 appearances for his country to date, scoring five goals in that period, so look out for him potentially taking to the field when Panama come up against England.
Tallest World Cup Player – Florian Wiegele
The tallest man at the 2026 World Cup is most likely to be seen on the bench. Florian Wiegele towers over his opponents at 205cm, or 6’9″, but the goalkeeper has only made one appearance for Austria to date.
The tallest outfield player is someone England fans will already know well. Dan Burn comes in at 201cm, alongside Colombia goalkeeper Alvaro Montero and Bosnia and Herzegovina centre-back Stjepan Radeljic.
It’ll be interesting to see if Thomas Tuchel employs Burn’s height as an attacking threat as the tournament develops, and particularly if Panama’s Yanis is on the pitch at the same time.
