MLS supplies record 44 active players to 2026 World Cup

Major League Soccer will be represented by a record 44 active players at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the most in the league's 33-year history. In total, 103 current and former MLS players will compete, giving MLS more World Cup participants than any pro league in the Western Hemisphere and placing it second among leagues outside the Premier League, La Liga, Ligue 1, Bundesliga and Serie A.

MLS highlighted its development pathway, noting 42 current or former players at the World Cup came through an MLS academy or MLS NEXT Pro. Alex Freeman, Rayan Elloumi and Esmir Bajraktarević became the first players to progress from MLS NEXT to MLS NEXT Pro, make first-team debuts and later earn spots on World Cup rosters.

North American sides also benefit: 79 percent of the players named to the United States and Canada squads have played in MLS, been developed in an MLS academy, or both. Exactly half of the combined U.S. and Canada rosters came through MLS academies.

United States, Canada

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