Forty-four players from Major League Soccer will take part in the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, surpassing the previous record set at the 2022 tournament in Qatar. Four years ago, 36 MLS players were involved, eight fewer than this summer’s edition.

Unsurprisingly, the United States has the most MLS players on its roster, although it is tied for first place with Canada on eight. Paraguay’s four MLS squad members are the most of any non-host nation.

MLS representation across the World Cup

Seventeen countries, including reigning champions Argentina, have MLS representation on their roster. Lionel Messi and Rodrigo De Paul are among the league’s biggest names heading to the tournament.

MLS players at the 2026 World Cup by country

Argentina

• Rodrigo De Paul (Inter Miami CF)
• Lionel Messi (Inter Miami CF)

Australia

• Lucas Herrington (Colorado Rapids)
• Aiden O’Neill (New York City FC)
• Kai Trewin (New York City FC)

Canada

• Mathieu Choinière (LAFC)
• Maxime Crépeau (Orlando City SC)
• Stephen Eustáquio (LAFC)
• Richie Laryea (Toronto FC)
• Jonathan Osorio (Toronto FC)
• Jacob Shaffelburg (LAFC)
• Dayne St. Clair (Inter Miami CF)
• Joel Waterman (Chicago Fire FC)

Cape Verde

• CJ Dos Santos (San Diego FC)
• Steven Moreira (Columbus Crew)

Colombia

• James Rodríguez (Minnesota United FC)

Croatia

• Petar Musa (FC Dallas)
• Marco Pašalić (Orlando City SC)

Haiti

• Louicius Deedson (FC Dallas)
• Derrick Etienne Jr. (Toronto FC)
• Danley Jean Jacques (Philadelphia Union)

Iraq

• Ahmed Qasem (Nashville SC)

New Zealand

• Michael Boxall (Minnesota United FC)
• Finn Surman (Portland Timbers)

Panama

• Aníbal Godoy (San Diego FC)
• Carlos Harvey (Minnesota United FC)

Paraguay

• Miguel Almirón (Atlanta United)
• Andrés Cubas (Vancouver Whitecaps FC)
• Matías Galarza (Atlanta United)
• Braian Ojeda (Orlando City SC)

South Africa

• Olwethu Makhanya (Philadelphia Union)
• Mbekezeli Mbokazi (Chicago Fire FC)

South Korea

• Son Heung-Min (LAFC)

Sweden

• Herman Johansson (FC Dallas)

Tunisia

• Rayan Elloumi (Vancouver Whitecaps FC)

United States

• Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew)
• Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps FC)
• Chris Brady (Chicago Fire FC)
• Matt Freese (New York City FC)
• Tim Ream (Charlotte FC)
• Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati)
• Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders FC)
• Matt Turner (New England Revolution)

Uruguay

• Juan Manuel Sanabria (Real Salt Lake)

Twenty-one MLS clubs represented

LAFC is the MLS team sending the most players to the World Cup with four, just ahead of eight clubs with three representatives, including Inter Miami. Twenty-one of the league’s 30 teams (70%) will be represented at the World Cup.

MLS players at the 2026 World Cup by club

Atlanta United

• Miguel Almirón (Paraguay)
• Matías Galarza (Paraguay)

Charlotte FC

• Tim Ream (United States)

Chicago Fire FC

• Joel Waterman (Canada)
• Mbekezeli Mbokazi (South Africa)
• Chris Brady (United States)

Colorado Rapids

• Lucas Herrington (Australia)

Columbus Crew

• Steven Moreira (Cape Verde)
• Max Arfsten (United States)

FC Cincinnati

• Miles Robinson (United States)

FC Dallas

• Petar Musa (Croatia)
• Louicius Deedson (Haiti)
• Herman Johansson (Sweden)

Inter Miami CF

• Rodrigo De Paul (Argentina)
• Lionel Messi (Argentina)
• Dayne St. Clair (Canada)

LAFC

• Mathieu Choinière (Canada)
• Stephen Eustáquio (Canada)
• Jacob Shaffelburg (Canada)
• Son Heung-Min (South Korea)

Minnesota United FC

• James Rodríguez (Colombia)
• Michael Boxall (New Zealand)
• Carlos Harvey (Panama)

Nashville SC

• Ahmed Qasem (Iraq)

New England Revolution

• Matt Turner (United States)

New York City FC

• Aiden O’Neill (Australia)
• Kai Trewin (Australia)
• Matt Freese (United States)

Orlando City SC

• Maxime Crépeau (Canada)
• Marco Pašalić (Croatia)
• Braian Ojeda (Paraguay)

Philadelphia Union

• Danley Jean Jacques (Haiti)
• Olwethu Makhanya (South Africa)

Portland Timbers

• Finn Surman (New Zealand)

Real Salt Lake

• Juan Manuel Sanabria (Uruguay)

San Diego FC

• CJ Dos Santos (Cape Verde)
• Aníbal Godoy (Panama)

Seattle Sounders FC

• Cristian Roldan (United States)

Toronto FC

• Richie Laryea (Canada)
• Jonathan Osorio (Canada)
• Derrick Etienne Jr. (Haiti)

Vancouver Whitecaps FC

• Andrés Cubas (Paraguay)
• Rayan Elloumi (Tunisia)
• Sebastian Berhalter (United States)

Top MLS-on-MLS games

MLS fans should probably keep a close eye on Group D. In the USMNT’s opening game against Paraguay on June 12, 12 players from the league could potentially feature. That said, the chances of Mauricio Pochettino needing to use three different goalkeepers are next to zero.

The USMNT’s clash with Australia on June 19 is the next biggest MLS-on-MLS game of the group stage, with 11 league players potentially involved. Paraguay vs. Australia on June 25 ranks third, with seven MLS players who could feature.

Get closer to the game! Whether you like your soccer of the European variety or that on this side of the pond, our AS USA app has it all. Dive into live coverage, expert insights, breaking news, exclusive videos, and more. Plus, stay updated on NFL, NBA and all other big sports stories as well as the latest in current affairs and entertainment. Download now for all-access coverage, right at your fingertips – anytime, anywhere.

And there’s more: check out our TikTok and Instagram reels for bite-sized visual takes on all the biggest soccer news and insights.