See how many players from Massachusetts have played for U.S. in World Cup
The 2026 World Cup is expected to bring in even more viewers. It kicks off on June 11, and what you may not know is that it will feature more foreign-born players than ever before in the tournament's nearly 100-year history, according to the University of Oxford's Centre on Migration, Policy and Society (also known as Compas). They report that "nearly one in four of the 1,248 players selected for national teams were born in a different country from the one they will represent." The U.S. team of 26, for example, includes six foreign-born players and one who largely grew up outside of the country. The remaining 19 hail from 11 states, leaving 39 states unrepresented at this year's tournament.
The World Cup is the most-watched sporting event in the world. FIFA estimates that around 5 billion people tuned in during the last tournament in 2022 in Qatar. To put that in perspective, only about 2.5% of that total (125.6 million) watched the 2026 Super Bowl.
But what about when you look further back at the makeup of players since the tournament's inception in 1930? Here, Stacker compiled data from a variety of sources to see how many soccer stars born in Massachusetts have had the honor of playing in the World Cup for the United States men's national soccer team throughout history. Read on to learn more about your local "football" legends.
U.S. men's national soccer team players born in Massachusetts
James Gentle
- Place of birth: Brookline
- World Cup: 1930
- Club: Philadelphia Field Club
Arnie Oliver
- Place of birth: New Bedford
- World Cup: 1930
- Club: Lucitania Recreation
Bert Patenaude
- Place of birth: Fall River
- World Cup: 1930
- Club: Fall River
Tom Lynch
- Place of birth: Fall River
- World Cup: 1934
- Club: Brooklyn Celtic
Ed Souza
- Place of birth: Fall River
- World Cup: 1950
- Club: Ponta Delgada S.C.
John Souza
- Place of birth: Fall River
- World Cup: 1950
- Club: Ponta Delgada S.C.
Mike Burns
- Place of birth: Marlborough
- World Cups: 1994, 1998
- Clubs: United States Soccer Federation, New England Revolution
Geoff Cameron
- Place of birth: Attleboro
- World Cup: 2014
- Club: Stoke City
Miles Robinson
- Place of birth: Arlington
- World Cup: 2026
- Club: FC Cincinnati
States with the most U.S. World Cup players
#1. California (25)
#2. Pennsylvania (15)
#3. Missouri (13)
#3. New Jersey (13)
#5. New York (10)
#6. Massachusetts (9)
#7. Illinois (7)
#8. Georgia (6)
#8. Texas (6)
#8. Washington (6)
#11. Florida (4)
#11. Maryland (4)
#13. Michigan (3)
#14. Alabama (2)
#14. Washington, D.C. (2)
#14. Wisconsin (2)
#17. Arizona (1)
#17. Colorado (1)
#17. Hawaii (1)
#17. Indiana (1)
#17. Kansas (1)
#17. Minnesota (1)
#17. North Carolina (1)
#17. Ohio (1)
#17. Oklahoma (1)
#17. Rhode Island (1)
#17. Virginia (1)