While seven players set to compete at the 2026 FIFA World Cup have ties to the Crew, three others were in contention for their national teams but missed the cut.
Of the players going to the World Cup, midfielder Max Arfsten and defender Steven Moreira are from the Crew’s roster this season.
Arfsten became the first Crew player to make the United States World Cup roster since Brian McBride in 2002 after earning 18 caps for the USMNT. Throughout his four seasons in Columbus, the 25-year-old has scored 14 goals across 87 regular-season games.
Moreira is making history with Cape Verde, as the national team is making its first appearance in the World Cup. Moreira joined the national team in 2023 and was in the starting lineup when Cape Verde defeated Eswatini 3-0 to qualify for the tournament on Oct. 13.
With the Crew, Moreira has played in 144 games since being signed in 2021.
Former Columbus Crew players at 2026 World Cup
When striker Cucho Hernandez departed from Columbus before the 2025 season for La Liga’s Real Betis, his hope was the move would help secure a spot on Colombia’s World Cup team.
On May 24, Hernandez reached his “moment” when he made the roster, despite missing previous national team call-ups.
Echo un vistazo atrás y se me pasan muchas cosas por la cabeza. Solo quien estuvo y vivió mi proceso para llegar hasta este momento sabe el esfuerzo y la dedicación diaria que he desempleado para poder lograr este sueño.
Jugar para tu selección te queda para toda la vida y… pic.twitter.com/0BMZ8JNv22
— Juan Camilo Hernández (@CuchoHernandez) May 26, 2026
Hernandez played three seasons for the Crew and is the club’s fifth-highest scorer with 58 goals across all games.
U.S. midfielder Sebastian Berhalter played only nine games with the Crew, but the 25-year-old went through the club’s academy system from 2014 to 2019, while his father Gregg Berhalter was the Crew coach.
Veteran MLS midfielder Derrick Etienne Jr spent three seasons in Columbus and won the 2020 MLS Cup. Now representing Toronto FC, Etienne is a part of Haiti’s first World Cup team in 52 years.
Former Crew defender Milos Degenek and goalkeeper Eloy Room will be playing for Australia and Curacao, respectively, at the World Cup. Both players were in Columbus for multiple seasons before departing in 2023.
Which players connected to Columbus Crew missed 2026 World Cup
Crew’s Patrick Schulte was in the mix to be named one of the three goalkeepers for the U.S. team, receiving a call-up to the last national team camp before the tournament in March. However, USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino selected Chris Brady, Matt Freese and Matt Turner over Schulte.
Former Crew midfielder and two-time MLS Cup champion Aidan Morris was also a contender for the USMNT.
Ahead of the Canadian national team being finalized, former Crew forward Jacen Russell-Rowe was called up to Canada’s pre-World Cup camp. Russell-Rowe was one of the six players cut from the 26-man roster.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Which Columbus Crew players are competing to 2026 FIFA World Cup