U.S. States Producing the Most World Cup Soccer Players
With the FIFA World Cup returning to North America in 2026, attention is turning to where the country’s strongest soccer talent has historically come from.
RotoGrinders analyzed World Cup squad data from 2002 to 2022, focusing on the modern era of U.S. soccer, to identify which states have produced the strongest pipeline of World Cup players across recent generations.
California ranks No. 1 overall with a World Cup Soccer Player Score of 77.7, followed by New Jersey, Washington, Georgia and Illinois.
Before diving into the rankings, readers following the tournament from a fantasy sports perspective can check out RotoGrinders’ DFS soccer picks and guide to the best DFS apps before kickoff.
The U.S. States Producing the Most World Cup Soccer Players
All category scores and the final World Cup Soccer Player Score were normalized and measured on a 0 to 100 scale.
1. California Leads the Nation for World Cup Soccer Player Production
California ranks first overall, with a World Cup Soccer Player Score of 77.7.
The Golden State scores 100 for World Cup Player Production, Long-Term World Cup Consistency and Modern World Cup Relevance. This means California performed strongest in the index for its combination of total World Cup player appearances, unique players produced, sustained representation across tournament years and players featured in recent World Cups.
Notable California World Cup soccer players: California’s World Cup soccer player pipeline includes Landon Donovan, Carlos Bocanegra, Frankie Hejduk, Haji Wright, Chris Wondolowski, Cristian Roldan and Luca de la Torre, giving the state one of the deepest player pools in the dataset.
2. New Jersey Ranks Second Overall
New Jersey places second with a World Cup Soccer Player Score of 63.
The state performs strongly across multiple categories, including a 69.7 World Cup Player Production Score and a 100 Long-Term World Cup Consistency Score. It also records one of the strongest per capita scores among the top-ranked states, with a 30.7 Per Capita Soccer Player Production Score.
Notable New Jersey World Cup soccer players: New Jersey’s World Cup soccer player list includes Tim Howard, Claudio Reyna, Jozy Altidore, Michael Bradley, Brenden Aaronson, Matt Turner and Tony Meola, helping the state rank second overall.
3. Washington Ranks Third for World Cup Soccer Player Output
Washington ranks third overall, with a World Cup Soccer Player Score of 40.9.
The state scores 100 for Long-Term World Cup Consistency, suggesting it has produced World Cup soccer players across a sustained period rather than relying on one isolated tournament cycle.
Notable Washington World Cup soccer players: Washington’s World Cup soccer players include Kasey Keller, DeAndre Yedlin, Jordan Morris, Marcus Hahnemann and Weston McKennie. Seattle is the state’s leading birthplace in the dataset.
4. Georgia Places Fourth Overall
Georgia follows closely in fourth, with a World Cup Soccer Player Score of 38.9.
Like Washington, Georgia scores 100 for Long-Term World Cup Consistency, showing that the state has contributed World Cup soccer players across multiple tournament cycles.
While Georgia sits fourth in the composite index, the raw player-count data shows it has produced six World Cup soccer players, more than Washington’s five.
Notable Georgia World Cup soccer players: Georgia’s World Cup soccer player list includes Clint Mathis, Josh Wolff, Ricardo Clark, Sean Johnson, Shaq Moore and Walker Zimmerman, giving the state one of the strongest raw player totals in the study.
5. Illinois Rounds Out the Top Five
Illinois ranks fifth overall, with a World Cup Soccer Player Score of 30.4.
The state records a 33.1 World Cup Player Production Score, placing it close to Washington and Georgia in that category. Illinois also scores 60 for Long-Term World Cup Consistency and 27.3 for Modern World Cup Relevance, showing that its World Cup soccer player output has included both historical representation and more recent tournament involvement.
Notable Illinois World Cup soccer players: Brian McBride, Brad Guzan, Jonathan Spector and Steve Cherundolo give Illinois a mix of goalkeeping, defensive and attacking representation across the dataset.
District of Columbia Stands Out Per Capita
The District of Columbia ranks sixth overall but records the highest Per Capita Soccer Player Production Score in the study, scoring 100 in that category.
While D.C.’s total player output is lower than larger states, its population-adjusted performance makes it one of the most notable findings in the index.
Texas and New York Show Recent World Cup Strength
Texas ranks seventh overall, while New York ranks eighth.
Both states perform especially well for Modern World Cup Relevance, each scoring 45.5 in that category. This reflects stronger representation in recent World Cup squads between 2010 and 2022.
Notable Texas and New York World Cup soccer players: Texas’ World Cup soccer players include Clint Dempsey, Kellyn Acosta and Omar Gonzalez, while New York’s list includes Tyler Adams, Timothy Weah and Joe Scally.
Methodology
This project analyzed U.S. player contributions to the FIFA World Cup from 2002 to 2022.
Data was extracted using Python automated scripting from Wikipedia, starting with the FIFA World Cup squad pages for each tournament year. The script visited individual player pages to extract each player’s listed birthplace. The dataset was then filtered to include only players born within the United States.
The data was aggregated at state level to calculate the following baseline metrics: total World Cup appearances per state, number of unique World Cup players, players per million residents, first World Cup appearance year, most recent World Cup appearance year, and number of unique players active between 2010 and 2022.
To rank each state, RotoGrinders created a composite index using four normalized sub-scores: Production Score, Per Capita Score, Longevity Score and Modern Relevance Score.
The Production Score carried a 50% weighting and combined total player appearances, weighted at 70%, and unique players produced, weighted at 30%. The Per Capita Score carried a 25% weighting and was calculated as unique players divided by state population, multiplied by 1,000,000.
The Longevity Score carried a 15% weighting and was calculated using the difference between the most recent appearance year and the first appearance year. The Modern Relevance Score carried a 10% weighting and was based on the number of unique players representing each state from 2010 to 2022.
Each category score was normalized to a 0 to 100 scale before the weighted scores were summed to generate the final World Cup Soccer Player Score. States were then ranked in descending order based on their final score.
You can view the full data set here: U.S. States Producing the Most World Cup Soccer Players