National Soccer Hall of Fame Announces Final Ballots for Election to 2026 Class
Voting Committees to Select as Many as 6 Inductees
FRISCO, Texas (Aug. 21, 2025) — The National Soccer Hall of Fame today released the names of the finalists for election to the Class of 2026, including 20 on the Player ballot, 10 on the Veteran ballot and four on the Builder ballot.
The Hall of Fame Voting Committees will meet over the next several weeks and then vote to select a maximum of six new members; as many as three Players and two Veterans can be selected, along with one Builder.
The 2026 Hall of Fame induction ceremony is scheduled for May 1 in Frisco.
Player Ballot Finalists
- Michael Archer
- Kyle Beckerman
- Matt Besler
- Geoff Cameron
- Stephanie Lopez Cox
- Dwayne DeRosario
- Maurice Edu
- Tobin Heath
- Keith Johnson
- Jermaine Jones
- Robbie Keane
- Mike Lawson
- Chad Marshall
- Samantha Mewis
- Oguchi Onyewu
- Heather O’Reilly
- Amy Rodriguez
- Carlos Ruiz
- Diego Valeri
- Chris Wondolowski
Cameron, Heath, Mewis, O’Reilly and Valeri last played in 2022 and were selected to the Final Ballot in their first year of eligibility. In all, 13 of the 20 Player finalists return from 2025. Archer was selected as a finalist after not being chosen last year.
Although he last played in 2016, Lawson’s eligibility was not confirmed until this year — making this his first and last year to be eligible in the Player category. Johnson and Ruiz also are in their final year of eligibility in the Player category; if they are not elected, they will move to the Veteran Eligibility List next year.
Veteran Ballot Finalists
- David Beckham
- Chico Borja
- Kevin Crow
- Lorrie Fair
- Francis Farberoff
- Clint Mathis
- Tiffany Roberts
- Tony Sanneh
- Tatu
- Aly Wagner
Builder Ballot Finalists
- Gino D’Ippolito
- Mark Geiger
- Brian Hall
- Kari Seitz
Builders are listed in three categories: referees, coaches and contributors. Since the 2022 election, Builder selections have been limited each year to a rotation of the three categories — or to a selection from the full pool of candidates. The 2026 Builder election is open to referees only.
The two Players, one Veteran and one Builder who receive the most votes and are named on more than 50% of the ballots are automatically elected to the Hall of Fame. A third Player and a second Veteran may be elected if they are named to at least 75% of the ballots.
Complete information about election and eligibility procedures is available at nationalsoccerhof.com. The election process is administered by National Soccer Hall of Fame staff under election and eligibility guidelines established by the Hall of Fame Board of Directors.
2026 Player Final Ballot Biographies
2026 Veteran Final Ballot Biographies
2026 Builder Final Ballot Biographies
List of NSHOF Selection Committee Members