Moreira and Cape Verde draw Spain, showing MLS impact on the global stage
· Yahoo Sports
If you missed it, mighty powerful Spain just got stopped, goalless, against the small, once-Portuguese territory and island of Cape Verde, one of the very few nations that shares Portuguese with Brazilians as their native tongue. On its side, several players who, while not born in the territory, are allowed to represent those nations due to the complicated history of citizenship and origin.
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Steven Moreira is one of many MLS players competing in this year's World Cup. He plays for the Columbus Crew and has anchored the team's defense over the past year, making him one of the better fullbacks in the league, as seen today against the likes of Lamine Yamal. A surreal defensive assignment, I'm sure Moreira could have never seen it coming, years ago, when he arrived in Columbus, Ohio. And with former MLS journeyman Jamiro Monteiro coming in as a substitute, Cape Verde did the unlikely and held the former World Champs to a 0-0 draw in the opening game.
Unprecedented moment for MLS
Major League Soccer will have a record 44 active players competing at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the most players from any league in the Western Hemisphere. MLS has the second-most outside of Europe's big five leagues — English Premier League, Germany's Bundesliga, France's Ligue 1, Spain's La Liga, and Italy's Serie A.
19 players at this summer's FIFA World Cup 2026 will have spent time in MLS NEXT Pro, the league's developmental tier.
With this milestone, the US league surpasses Liga MX and becomes the league with the most players in the Western Hemisphere. This includes the Brasileirão, the Argentinian league, and any other league in the Western hemisphere.
The Numbers Behind MLS's Global Reach
This milestone represents a dramatic leap from 32 players in 2022 to just 19 in 2018, positioning MLS as the seventh-most-represented league globally. The 2026 FIFA World Cup will feature a record 44 MLS players representing 21 clubs and 17 countries.
In total, 103 players competing at the FIFA World Cup 2026 have spent time in Major League Soccer, highlighting the league's growing role as a destination for elite international talent and a proven development pathway. Among the 103 current and former MLS players competing at this summer's tournament are 42 players who developed through the MLS player pathway, either at an MLS academy or in MLS NEXT Pro.
Academy Development Drives Growth
According to MLS, 79 percent of the players named to the United States and Canada World Cup squads have played in MLS, developed in an MLS academy or both. The league also reported that exactly half of the combined U.S. and Canada rosters came through MLS academies, a significant milestone for North American player development.
19 players at this summer's FIFA World Cup 2026 will have spent time in MLS NEXT Pro, illustrating the remarkable growth of the league since its launch in 2022. Those players combined for more than 300 MLS NEXT Pro appearances and 50 goals scored.
What This Means for MLS's Global Position
The significance lies not only in the fact that 44 MLS footballers will represent their national teams, but also in the way this milestone marks Major League Soccer's transformation from a so-called retirement league into a truly competitive one. This moment could mark a turning point for the league's reputation as a genuine developer of talent, with 42 current or former players having come up through the MLS player pathway.
The structural shift represents more than numerical growth. MLS has established itself as a legitimate pathway to international football's highest level, competing directly with established South American leagues for talent development and retention. MLS stated 21 clubs will be represented at the World Cup, the most of any domestic league worldwide. LAFC leads all MLS clubs with four call-ups, while players from 17 countries across six continents will represent MLS.
This milestone positions MLS as a reference point for league development in the Americas, demonstrating how strategic investment in academies and player pathways can produce measurable results on the global stage.