The 4 U.S. States Most Likely to Produce World Cup Soccer Players
With the 2026 World Cup being contested in North America, the United States is looking to write a new chapter in its history in the tournament.
But which states have done the most to contribute to the United States Men's National Team prior to this year?
A newly published analysis gives us the answer.
California stands on top
After nearly a century of competing in the World Cup, one state stood above the rest prior to this year when it comes to producing players for the United States according to an analysis by BetMGM.
That would be California, which was the birthplace of 23 players for the United States Men's National Team prior to the 2026 edition.
Next up is New Jersey with 13 followed by Missouri (13) and Pennsylvania (12).
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The lead is even greater for the Golden State when it comes to goals scored in the World Cup. California's nine tallies are more than twice as many as Massachusetts (four) and Texas (four), the next states on the list.
As it turns out, two players have had a bigger influence on that than any others.
Landon Donovan (Ontario, Calif.) is the all-time leading scorer for the USMNT in the World Cup with five goals by himself, more than any of the other 49 states entering the 2026 tournament, but he needed all of those to overcome one player from Massachusetts.
That would be Bert Patenaude, who scored four goals in the first World Cup in 1930.
New Jersey not bad
When it comes to World Cup appearances, the count is much closer with New Jersey (69) trailing California by just three.
Beyond that, the Garden State actually leads the way in wins with 17 compared to 14 for players from California.
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How did they conclude this?
BetMGM analyzed historical data for every USMNT roster since the World Cup began in 1930 and assessed on-field contributions in matches. That includes goals, wins and matches played.
It then used Transfermarkt and FBref to discern birth state data and aggregated the results to see which states stand out.
What about the 2026 squad?
New York is No. 1 this year when it comes to producing USMNT players (five).
Next up is California with three, a total tying the state with Texas and Pennsylvania.
New Jersey has two players while Ohio, Missouri, Illinois, Massachusetts and Florida all have one apiece and four players were born abroad.
This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jun 16, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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This story was originally published June 16, 2026 at 11:11 AM.