Ghana head coach Carlos Queiroz (from Portugal) had already left Williams out of the starting lineup for the Black Stars’ debut at the 2026 World Cup. Thus, the fact that he’s done it again isn’t all that surprising. Whether it’s the right call is a different question. However, Williams wasn’t much of a factor against England in the only World Cup match he has started so far, and the head coach is going back to what worked for him before.

The decision to leave Williams on the bench is entirely tactical. Williams is fit to play and will be ready to come on if his team needs him against Croatia, who will also be without Josko Gvardiol in the starting lineup.

Who will be replacing Williams?

As Ghana gear up for a decisive matchup with Croatia, they are well aware of what will happen if they win, tie, or lose. They know what the odds are, and yet Queiroz is opting to leave the Athletic Bilbao striker out of the starting lineup.

In his place, Kamaldeen Sulemana will play alongside captain Jordan Ayew in attack. Other notable names in the starting XI include Antoine Semenyo and Thomas Partey.

Ghana’s lone goal in 2026 World Cup

The Black Stars have scored just one goal through their first two games of the 2026 World Cup. Curiously enough, the goalscorer wasn’t one of their top strikers but midfielder Caleb Yirenki instead.

A 0-0 draw would be enough for Ghana to advance to the Round of 32 from Group L, meaning they could reach the knockout stage after scoring just one goal in the group stage. So far, Semenyo, Ayew, and Williams have all been held scoreless.

Born and raised in Spain, they are brothers and share an unbreakable bond, though Inaki ultimately chose to honor his heritage by representing Ghana, the country of his parents’ birth, while Nico decided to play for Spain. A potential family reunion on the pitch remains a distant possibility—unable to happen until at least the Round of 32—but the tournament’s unpredictable nature leaves the door open.

Despite choosing different international allegiances, the brothers share a phenomenal relationship on and off the pitch, fueled by years of tearing up Spanish soccer together with a nearly identical, explosive style of play. Though their paths have diverged for this 2026 World Cup showcase, their sibling bond remains as tight as ever.

They aren’t the only siblings splitting international ties at this tournament, mirroring brothers Desire and Guela Doue, who feature for France and Ivory Coast, respectively. But the Williams brothers are fully locked in on driving their respective countries forward, knowing that if they do happen to cross paths in the knockout stages, blood will always be thicker than water once the 90 minutes are up.

Is it possible that the Williams brothers face off in the next round?

Under the tournament’s expanded format, which sees the eight best third-placed teams secure a spot in the Round of 32, Spain and Ghana could cross paths early in the knockout rounds. There are two primary pathways where this dramatic family showdown could materialize:

• Scenario A: Spain win Group H, and Ghana advance as one of the best third-placed teams assigned to that specific branch of the bracket.
• Scenario B: Ghana pull off a shock to win Group L, and Spain advance as one of the best third-placed teams assigned to that side of the tree.

Of course, the immediate priority is for both nations to take care of business and escape the group stage. Spain enter the tournament as a heavy favorite to comfortably secure a spot in the Round of 32. Ghana, meanwhile, face a grueling uphill battle to claim a qualification spot out of a brutal group featuring England, Croatia, and Panama, a daunting but not impossible task for the Black Stars.

Williams brothers’ international stats

Both Williams brothers are looking to make a massive impact in their second consecutive World Cup cycle, after both featured in the 2022 tournament in Qatar. Here is how the two explosive forwards stack up when wearing their respective national team colors:

• Nico Williams (Spain)
  • International Debut: September 24, 2022
  • Total Caps: 28
  • Goals Scored: 5
  • Assists: 7
  • Major Honors: UEFA Euro 2024 Champion, UEFA Nations League 2022–23 Champion

• Inaki Williams (Ghana)
  • International Debut: September 23, 2022 (Note: He previously made 1 friendly appearance for Spain in 2016 before officially switching his allegiance to Ghana via FIFA eligibility rules).
  • Total Caps: 19
  • Goals Scored: 2
  • Assists: 2
  • Major Honors: 2023 Africa Cup of Nations participant

That exact scenario will be the case for eight distinct pairs of siblings at the 2026 World Cup. The way of the modern soccer world means that four sets of brothers currently play for different squads and could go up against one another at some point during the grueling tournament, although none of them will do so during the initial group stage.

This is the list of brothers playing for different squads:

• Inaki Williams and Nico Williams, who play for Ghana and Spain, respectively
• Desire Doue and Guela Doue, who represent France and Ivory Coast, respectively
• John Souttar and Harry Souttar, playing for Scotland and Australia, respectively
• Derrick Luckassen and Brian Brobbey, who represent Ghana and Netherlands, respectively

A potential family reunion in the knockout rounds

If France and Ivory Coast both finish as the respective runners-up in Group I and Group E, there will be an immediate meeting of the Doue brothers in the round of 32. This particular scenario represents the most obvious and direct route to a sibling-on-sibling matchup during the high-stakes knockout stages of the competition.

Since 32 of the 48 participating squads successfully progress from the opening group stage, there are numerous mathematical possibilities for even more family showdowns later in the bracket. These potential matchups would undoubtedly add an extra layer of personal drama and intrigue to what are already incredibly high-stakes soccer clashes.

The brothers who represent a single nation

Among the brothers who are set to make history by representing a single country are Arsenal defender Jurrien Timber and his twin brother Quinten Timber. Quinten Timber currently plays as a talented midfielder for French club Marseille, and both siblings are proudly included in the Netherlands squad, though there are even more Dutch family connections to note.

Laros Duarte and his younger brother Deroy Duarte were both originally born in the Netherlands, but could potentially team up together in the midfield for Cape Verde. This family duo adds significant strength to the African squad, who is currently making its historic maiden World Cup appearance on the global stage.

The same situation goes for former Aston Villa right back Leandro Bacuna, who stands as Curacao’s most-capped player in history, and Juninho Bacuna, who previously played for Villa’s bitter rivals Birmingham City. The Bacuna brothers are also completely Dutch-born, but officially declared their international allegiance to Curacao several years ago.

In fact, Williams decided to be part of the Ghana National team as he wasn’t taken seriously by Luis Enrique and the Spain National team’s coaching staff as their main striker. So he will be part of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar as the main goalscorerfor the African side,thanks to his background, and to fulfill his grandfather’s dream.

However, his situation with Athletic Club has been going with ups and downs, because Athletic Club’s financial situation isn’t good right now. In fact, the Athletic’s front office has been thinking about thepossiblilty of selling their star because Williams’ release clause could be paid by at least one Premier League side, and because they desperately need the money.

Iñaki Williams’s contract with Athletic Club

According to latest reports regardin Athletic Club’s financial situation, Iñaki Williams’s current salary is an estimate of€7,000,000 per season. However, Athletic Club’s front office is looking to downgrade his current salary with a new contract. As well as his current release clause, which is around €135-millionfigure.

How much does Iñaki Williamsmake a week?

Considering Williams’ current€7-million annual salary, he currently earns an estimate amount of€584,000per month. That would make an estimate of€135,000 a week;€20,000a day;€800 per hour;or €33.33 perminute. However, due to Athletic Club’s bad financial situation, his salary could change anytime soon.