Ethiopia’s diaspora database has more than 200 players. Samoa’s heritage search found 350-plus eligible players. Dual-national recruitment still starts with a legal check, then role fit and commitment.

A federation cannot turn interest into selection until it knows the player can be registered. FIFA’s eligibility explainer says its guide covers the procedure and documents needed for eligibility or change-of-association requests to the FIFA Players’ Status Committee. FIFA’s 211 members are responsible for making sure the players they register are eligible, including in cases involving youth appearances, limited senior caps, waiting periods and major-tournament restrictions.

Scouts and coaches ask where the player is playing, how many minutes he has, whether his position is needed, and whether his qualities travel into the national-team role.

Federations find players through databases, networks and family routes

David Beshah, the Ethiopian Football Federation’s chief scout, said his diaspora database had grown to “a little bit more than 200 players,” with his own focus mostly on first- and second-division players and younger players gaining senior experience on loan. He also described a planned registration website where players or parents could contact the federation directly, because academy players can be hard to identify without a local network, in his Pan-Africa Football interview.

Russell Gurr and Alastair McLae’s work for Samoa, Fiji and the Cook Islands shows the same search at a larger data level. BBC Sport reported that they use an AI heritage scouting system, a database and traditional scouting to identify eligible players. Gurr said they found more than 350 Samoa-eligible players from 2021 to 2023, and estimated that about 50% of identified players did not know they were eligible.

Coaches still select for role and need

Former U.S. men’s national team manager Gregg Berhalter’s comments on Ricardo Pepi show how a dual-national discussion becomes a normal squad decision. Berhalter said Pepi had a skill set that could contribute, but that the staff still needed to see how he could be used in games and how he adapted to the level. He also noted that centre forward was open in that U.S. squad, giving Pepi a route to minutes, in MLSSoccer.com’s report.

Canada men’s national team head coach Jesse Marsch described Canada’s dual-national work in similar terms. He said Canada had almost 10 dual nationals on the radar, with three or four who could be important, and that the staff had to work out “how they fit with their qualities within the team,” while also showing them the national-team project, according to Canadian Soccer Daily.

Commitment is checked separately from talent

U.S. men’s national team head coach Mauricio Pochettino said the U.S. would be fully involved if a player could help and improve the team, but he also said the player had to want to play for the national team. “We don’t need to convince [players],” he said in Pro Soccer Wire’s report.

Beshah made the same point from a scout’s side. He said he wanted to know a player’s ability and performance, but also whether the player was eager to play for Ethiopia. “I do not want to convince somebody to play if they do not want to,” he said.

Players describe that choice through trust, belonging and the path in front of them. Pepi told FC Dallas he chose the U.S. because he felt trusted by Berhalter and believed he could make an impact. Yunus Musah, who had been part of England’s youth setup, told CBS Sports he was convinced after his first U.S. camp and felt “really special, really welcomed and one of their own.”

Pathway and timing can decide close races

Pepi later said the U.S. offered him a senior World Cup qualifying path while Mexico offered a U-20 route. He said the U.S. opportunity was “a big deal” and made the decision easier, according to Pro Soccer Wire.

Canada used camp access as a softer step with Marcelo Flores. The Globe and Mail reported that Flores, who had represented Mexico at senior level, was listed as a training player so he could get a taste of life with Canada while his eligibility route remained part of the story.

A player developed abroad can bring strong academy habits, senior club experience and a different football education. The national-team staff still has to make him feel part of the room, explain the role, and decide whether the move helps the squad now or later.

Public evidence shows the broad process, not each federation’s private rankings. The best-supported pattern is legal check, player identification, football fit, commitment, and timing.