football team to the national team (Denmark). In late 2018, the Basque Football Federation voted in favour of applying to FIFA and UEFA for official recognition for the team. In December 2020, Basque federation applied for UEFA and FIFA recognition. Players For a list of recent Basque Country national team players, see here For a list of players from the Basque region who have represented FIFA national teams, see here Due to the unofficial status of the Basque Country team and others, many of the usual conventions of international football do not apply. Players who have already appeared for a FIFA national team can play for the Basques in addition, but if they are simultaneously called up for both, the FIFA squad (usually Spain) takes precedence. Clubs are also not obligated to release their players, and the request is sometimes refused by clubs outwith the Spanish leagues, or when the fixture takes place during the domestic season and the club has important upcoming fixtures. Eligible players can also choose not to be involved. This means the Basque squads are frequently below what would be considered their 'full strength', but also means those who do take part are fully committed to the concept, and in many cases would have no other opportunities to experience international football so consider the match to be an important matter. This contrasts with their opponents, as the fixture does not contribute to their Association ranking points or individual cap totals and is thus one of the least significant matches out of several they would play each year. In combination with home advantage for the Basque team in most of their fixtures, this has led to the results falling in their favour more often than might be expected compared to other nations perceived to have a similar standard of players. Veteran coach Javier Clemente became manager of the Basque Selection in March 2019. At his presentation, he spoke of plans to invite players with Basque heritage (including those from other parts of Spain like Marco Asensio) to play for the team, in line with the grandfather rule used by FIFA national teams. Current squad Squad for the friendly against Costa Rica on 16 November 2020. Caps and goals as of November 16, 2020 Head coach: Javier Clemente Recent callups The following players were called up to or played for the Basque Country in recent matches. Results and