See how many players from Illinois 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 Illinois 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 Illinois

Steve Trittschuh
- Place of birth: Granite City
- World Cup: 1990
- Club: Tampa Bay Rowdies

Marcelo Balboa
- Place of birth: Chicago
- World Cups: 1990, 1994, 1998
- Clubs: San Diego Nomads, United States Soccer Federation, Colorado Rapids

Brian McBride
- Place of birth: Arlington Heights
- World Cups: 1998, 2002, 2006
- Clubs: Columbus Crew, Fulham

Steve Cherundolo
- Place of birth: Rockford
- World Cups: 2002, 2006, 2010
- Clubs: Hannover 96

Jonathan Spector
- Place of birth: Arlington Heights
- World Cup: 2010
- Club: West Ham United

Brad Guzan
- Place of birth: Evergreen Park
- World Cups: 2010, 2014
- Clubs: Aston Villa

Chris Brady
- Place of birth: Naperville
- World Cup: 2026
- Club: Chicago Fire

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)