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The 2026 World Cup marked a landmark moment for Major League Soccer, with 46 players from the league's ongoing season appearing on national team rosters, making it the most-represented league outside of Europe's top five competitions.
Although the heavily MLS-stacked U.S. men's national team and Canada were eliminated in the round of 16, the tournament featured standout performances from MLS players across squads from every confederation, including Argentina's deep run featuring Inter Miami's Rodrigo De Paul and Lionel Messi.
Here, Sports Illustrated counts down the eight best MLS players at the 2026 World Cup, a tournament the league hopes will boost soccer's profile across North America.
8. Finn Surman—New Zealand (Portland Timbers)
New Zealand entered the 2026 World Cup with hopes of claiming their first-ever tournament victory. While the All Whites fell short of that goal—drawing with Iran and suffering defeats to Belgium and Egypt—they showed genuine competitiveness throughout their matches.
With Chris Wood and Elijah Just leading the attack, Portland Timbers center back Finn Surman carved out his own reputation on the defensive end. He delivered an outstanding 16 defensive contributions in a 2–2 draw against Iran, then headed in the go-ahead goal from a corner kick in what became a 3–1 defeat to Egypt.
7. Mbekezeli Mbokazi—South Africa (Chicago Fire)
South Africa's return to the World Cup for the first time since hosting in 2010 was marked by the team's maiden advancement to the knockout rounds, following a memorable victory over South Korea in their final group stage fixture. Though their run came to a painful end against Canada in the round of 32, Chicago Fire center back Mbekezeli Mbokazi was a consistent standout throughout.
The 20-year-old played every single minute across Bafana Bafana's four matches, recording a combined 26 defensive contributions against South Korea and Czechia, topping his team's defensive charts in both games.
6. Sebastian Berhalter—USMNT (Vancouver Whitecaps)
Sebastian Berhalter's finest USMNT outing came in the group-stage defeat to Türkiye, where he registered an assist from a corner before firing in a long-range strike for his first World Cup goal. Though he wasn't in the starting lineup for the USMNT's remaining fixtures, the Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder proved to be one of the tournament's most effective substitutes.
Against Belgium in the round of 16, a powerful long-range effort nearly pulled the score to 3–2 just seconds after coming on, and in the opening match, he stepped up admirably in Christian Pulisic's absence during the 4–1 triumph over Paraguay.
5. Steven Moreira—Cape Verde (Columbus Crew)
Containing a powerhouse like Spain is no small feat. Steven Moreira did exactly that with Cape Verde, delivering a commanding display on the Blue Sharks' defensive line in a goalless draw against La Roja in their World Cup opener and a narrow 3–2 extra-time loss to Argentina in the round of 16.
Though his attacking contributions were limited in Cabo Verde's defense-first approach, he shone in front of the now-celebrated goalkeeper Vozinha. The Columbus Crew defender neutralized Gavi, Pedri and Marc Cucurella against Spain with five defensive contributions, before putting in a similarly disciplined effort against Thiago Almada, Lautaro Martínez and Enzo Fernández against Argentina.
Now partnered with former Manchester United center back Eric Bailly in Columbus, the Crew's defensive unit could well push them back into MLS Cup contention, energized by Cape Verde's extraordinary World Cup campaign.
4. Stephen Eustáquio—Canada (LAFC)
Although his loan spell at LAFC concluded mid-tournament, Canadian vice-captain Stephen Eustáquio began the World Cup as an MLS player before rejoining Portugal's FC Porto once the competition ended. Coming off a strong 14-game stint with LAFC, he elevated his performances on the global stage and featured for all but 57 minutes across Canada's five matches, which concluded with a round of 16 exit to Morocco.
The 29-year-old, who captained Canada for much of their run, scored the most significant goal in his nation's men's soccer history—netting a stoppage-time winner in the round of 32 against South Africa to seal Canada's first-ever World Cup knockout stage victory and their deepest-ever run at a men's World Cup.
3. Rodrigo De Paul—Argentina (Inter Miami)
Rotating between starter and substitute roles, Inter Miami's Rodrigo De Paul remained a vital cog in Argentina's machine at 32 years old, arriving at the tournament in revitalized form following his time with Inter Miami.
Operating mainly as a right midfielder, he worked tirelessly to create space for Lionel Messi's brilliance while also contributing defensively without the ball, helping Argentina reach their second consecutive World Cup final.
2. Andrés Cubas—Paraguay (Vancouver Whitecaps)
Andrés Cubas was central to one of the tournament's greatest upsets, helping dismantle Germany's midfield in a penalty shootout victory in the round of 32 to knock out the four-time champions. Assigned to contain Denis Undav, Kai Havertz, Aleksandar Pavlović, Jamal Musiala and others in the German midfield, he finished that game with six tackles and three interceptions, before another resolute defensive showing in a 1–0 round of 16 defeat to Kylian Mbappé's France.
The Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder has established himself as one of MLS's premier defensive midfielders and has been instrumental in Vancouver's remarkable success over the last two seasons—qualities he brought seamlessly to the world's biggest stage.
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1. Lionel Messi—Argentina (Inter Miami)
Lionel Messi's heroics at the 2022 World Cup had already made him the first active MLS player to claim a Ballon d'Or, and his even more prolific showing at this summer's tournament could earn him a ninth such honor.
He netted eight goals and contributed four assists across the seven matches leading up to the final—a breathtaking return for the reigning MLS MVP and MLS Golden Boot winner, who had guided Miami to the 2025 MLS Cup.
With two sublime assists to clinch the thrilling semifinal victory over England and multi-goal performances against Austria and Algeria in the tournament's opening stages, he was unquestionably the standout MLS player of the competition and further cemented his legacy as the greatest footballer of all time.