MLS Sets Historic Mark with 45 Active Players Selected for 2026 FIFA World Cup Rosters.

Major League Soccer will have its strongest global presence yet at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with 45 currently active MLS players named to national team rosters for the tournament. The figure represents a new league record and leads all leagues in the Western Hemisphere.

Across all participating nations, a total of 105 players with MLS experience—current or former—have been selected for the tournament. This includes 44 players who developed through MLS academies or the MLS NEXT Pro pathway, underscoring the league’s growing role in global player development. MLS clubs across the league are represented heavily, with players coming from 22 different teams, the most of any domestic league. LAFC leads all clubs with four World Cup call-ups. Overall, MLS-connected players represent 17 countries and appear across 11 of the 12 World Cup groups. The league also highlighted the strength of its development system, noting that several players progressed from MLS NEXT and MLS NEXT Pro to first-team appearances before earning World Cup roster spots. Among them are Alex Freeman (United States; Villarreal), Rayan Elloumi (Tunisia; Vancouver Whitecaps FC), and Esmir Bajraktarević. Additionally, 19 players at the tournament have MLS NEXT Pro experience, combining for more than 300 appearances and 50 goals since the league’s launch in 2022. The United States and Canada national teams reflect the league’s domestic influence, with 81% of their combined 52 players having MLS experience or academy backgrounds. More than half of those players developed directly through MLS academies.

Collectively, the U.S. and Canada squads bring more than 3,000 MLS appearances, over 300 goals, and 15 MLS All-Star selections into the tournament. The 2026 FIFA World Cup, hosted in North America, marks a major milestone for both the league and the region, highlighting MLS’s continued growth as a global development and competition pathway.