How many MLS players will feature in the 2022 World Cup?

Given the growth of Major League Soccer and how it has progressed over the years, impressive performances in United States’ top soccer league from players of different nationalities are now catching the eye of national team managers around the globe more than they did in the past. As a result, there will be a considerable number of players from MLS clubs representing their nations at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

At the start of the month, commissioner Don Garber claimed there would be around 40 MLS players representing their respective countries at the World Cup, which would be a record number for the league. Now that all 32 rosters have been confirmed, let’s take a look at whether Garber’s estimation was correct.

That makes a total of 35 players, a little shy of the number forecasted by Garber a few weeks ago, but still a record nevertheless. Canada tops the list with 11 players, 10 of whom play for the three Canadian clubs who are part of the American league system. Nine of the USMNT are currently signed to MLS clubs, the same number as in 2014, the last they qualified for the World Cup, although coaches are able to name three additional players this year.

Ecuador (four), Costa Rica (two), Cameroon (two) and Uruguay (two) are the four countries who have picked multiple MLS players, with Wales, Mexico, Poland, Australia and Switzerland selecting one apiece.

Those 35 players have been picked across 11 different nations, a huge increase from the last World Cup in 2018, when only 17 players were chosen by six countries. That number is skewed, however, by the fact that neither the USMNT nor Canada qualified for the tournament four years ago.