International football may have lost some of its allure for some, but playing for one's country remains the pinnacle for many footballers and the World Cup is still the most popular sporting event in the world.
One of the major talking points within the international game in the 21st century has been the practice of switching teams, which has been facilitated by FIFA. Indeed, there are now plenty of examples where footballers have represented a country, even up to senior level, before later declaring for another country.
In late 2020, FIFA announced at its 70th annual congress that the eligibility rules had been updated, in what administrators have described as the "first wholesale modernisation" of the rules, with added codification and clarification.