See how many players from California have played for U.S. in World Cup

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.

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.

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 California 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 California

John Doyle
- Place of birth: San Jose
- World Cup: 1990
- Club: S.F. Bay Blackhawks

Christopher Sullivan
- Place of birth: San Jose
- World Cup: 1990
- Club: Győri

Eric Wynalda
- Place of birth: Fullerton
- World Cups: 1990, 1994, 1998
- Clubs: S.F. Bay Blackhawks, 1. FC Saarbrücken, San Jose Clash

Paul Krumpe
- Place of birth: Torrance
- World Cup: 1990
- Club: Real Santa Barbara

Eric Eichmann
- Place of birth: Margate
- World Cup: 1990
- Club: Fort Lauderdale Strikers

Paul Caligiuri
- Place of birth: Westminster
- World Cups: 1990, 1994
- Clubs: SV Meppen, United States Soccer Federation

David Vanole
- Place of birth: Redondo Beach
- World Cup: 1990
- Club: Los Angeles Heat

Mike Lapper
- Place of birth: Redondo Beach
- World Cup: 1994
- Club: United States Soccer Federation

Cle Kooiman
- Place of birth: Ontario
- World Cup: 1994
- Club: Cruz Azul

Frankie Hejduk
- Place of birth: La Mesa
- World Cups: 1998, 2002
- Clubs: Tampa Bay Mutiny, Bayer Leverkusen

John O'Brien
- Place of birth: Los Angeles
- World Cups: 2002, 2006
- Clubs: Ajax, Chivas USA

Eddie Lewis
- Place of birth: Cerritos
- World Cups: 2002, 2006
- Clubs: Fulham, Leeds United

Landon Donovan
- Place of birth: Ontario
- World Cups: 2002, 2006, 2010
- Clubs: San Jose Earthquakes, LA Galaxy

Carlos Bocanegra
- Place of birth: Alta Loma
- World Cups: 2006, 2010
- Clubs: Fulham, Rennes

Jimmy Conrad
- Place of birth: Arcadia
- World Cup: 2006
- Club: Kansas City Wizards

Herculez Gomez
- Place of birth: Oxnard
- World Cup: 2010
- Club: Puebla

Jonathan Bornstein
- Place of birth: Torrance
- World Cup: 2010
- Club: Chivas USA

Maurice Edu
- Place of birth: Fontana
- World Cup: 2010
- Club: Rangers

Chris Wondolowski
- Place of birth: Danville
- World Cup: 2014
- Club: San Jose Earthquakes

Nick Rimando
- Place of birth: Montclair
- World Cup: 2014
- Club: Real Salt Lake

Luca de la Torre
- Place of birth: San Diego
- World Cup: 2022
- Club: Celta Vigo

Aaron Long
- Place of birth: Oak Hills
- World Cup: 2022
- Club: New York Red Bulls

Cristian Roldan
- Place of birth: Artesia
- World Cups: 2022, 2026
- Clubs: Seattle Sounders FC

Haji Wright
- Place of birth: Los Angeles
- World Cups: 2022, 2026
- Clubs: Antalyaspor, Coventry City

Max Arfsten
- Place of birth: Fresno
- World Cup: 2026
- Club: Columbus Crew

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)