MLS to Send Record 44 Players to 2026 World Cup, Including Messi and USMNT Stars

When the 1994 World Cup took place in the United States , Major League Soccer didn't even exist, but as the 2026 World Cup is about to kick off on June 11 with Mexico hosting South Africa , a record 44 active MLS players will be taking part in the tournament. That's a rise from 36 MLS players and one MLS Next Pro player during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar .

Even that opening game could feature an all-MLS central defense for South Africa, calling up Olwethu Makanya and Mbekezeli Mbokazi from MLS clubs. It's something that shows the growth of the league, as previously, if there were multiple MLS players going to the World Cup, they'd be representing the United States or Canada , but now with the captains of Argentina , Colombia , and South Korea hailing from MLS, it shows how much times have changed.

Expanding that lens a bit, 103 players on World Cup rosters have spent time through the MLS player pathway, which includes academies and MLS Next Pro.

The host nations will also feel a significant impact of MLS, with Canada tied for the lead with eight MLS representatives, level with the United States. Group D, where the USMNT will play, also has significant familiarity, as Paraguay have the second most MLS representatives at four, followed by Australia with three.

There could be deep runs made by the league as well, with Argentina, Croatia , Colombia, and Uruguay all represented. Those four national teams all rank within the top 20 of the world, with all but Uruguay cracking the top 15. It's much more than Lionel Messi and company, and with the World Cup taking place in the United States, Canada and Mexico, it's a perfect time to showcase how far the league has come and how the facilities stack up globally in what could be a tournament to drive recruitment of new players into MLS.

Let's take a look at the 44 players representing the league:

MLS players on World Cup rosters

(MLS team/National team)

- Group A: Olwethu Makanhya (Philadelphia Union/South Africa), Mbekezeli Mbokazi (Chicago Fire/South Africa), Son Heung-min (Los Angeles FC/South Korea) - Group B: Mathieu Choinere (Los Angeles FC/Canada), Stephen Eusaquio (Los Angeles FC/Canada), Jacb Shafflelburg (Los Angeles FC/Canada), Maxime Crepeau (Orlando City SC/Canada), Richie Lareya (Toronto FC/Canada), Jonathan Osorio (Toronto FC/Canada), Dayne St. Clair ( Inter Miami/Canada), Joel Waterman (Chicago FIre/Canada) - Group C: Derrick Etienne Jr. (Toronto FC/Haiti), Danley Jean-Jacques (Philadelphia Union/Haiti), Don Deedson Louicius (FC Dallas/Haiti) - Group D: Lucas Harrington (Colorado Rapids/Australia), Aiden O'Neill (New York City FC/Australia), Kai Trewin (New York City FC/Australia), Miguel Almiron (Atlanta United / Paraguay), Andres Cubas (Vancouver Whitecaps/ Paraguay), Matias Galaraza (Atlanta United/ Paraguay), Braian Ojeda (Orlando City SC/ Paraguay), Max Arfsten ( Columbus Crew / United States), Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps/ United States), Chris Brady ( Chicago Fire FC/United States), Matt Freese (New York City FC/United States), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC/United States), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati/United States), Cristian Roldan ( Seattle Sounders FC/United States), Matt Turner (New England Revolution/United States) - Group F: Herman Johansson (FC Dallas/Sweden), Rayan Elloumi (Vancouver Whitecaps/Tunisia) - Group G: Michael Boxall ( Minnesota United FC/New Zealand), Finn Surman (Portland Timbers/New Zealand) - Group H: CJ dos Santos (San Diego FC/Cabo Verde), Steven Moreira (Columbus Crew/Cabo Verde), Juan Manuel Sanabria (Real Salt Lake/Uruguay) - Group I: Ahmed Qasem (Nashville SC/Iraq) - Group J: Rodrigo De Paul (Inter Miami/Argentina), Lionel Messi (Inter Miami/Argentina) - Group K: James Rodríguez (Minnesota United FC/Colombia) - Group L: Petar Musa (FC Dallas/Croatia), Marco Pasalic (Orlando City SC/Croatia), Anibal Godoy (San Diego FC/Panama), Carlos Harvey (Minnesota United FC/Panama)

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_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/soccer/news/mls-players-at-2026-world-cup-record-messi-usmnt-what-to-know/)._