National Soccer Hall of Fame Announces All Eligible Candidates for 2027 Election
List Includes 16 Players in Their First Year on the Eligibility List
FRISCO, Texas (July 27, 2026) — The National Soccer Hall of Fame at Toyota Stadium today released the names of all candidates eligible for election in 2027.
Of the 220 people named, 61 are on the Player Eligibility List, 127 are on the Veteran Eligibility List and 32 are on the Builder Eligibility List.
The Hall of Fame’s Screening Committees will narrow the Player, Veteran and Builder ballots before they and other members of the Voting Committees vote on the Final Ballot, electing a maximum of six new Hall of Fame members. As many as three Players and two Veterans can be selected, along with one Builder.
The Player Screening Committee is responsible for narrowing the 61-person list to a 20-person final ballot for the 2027 election.
The 16 players in their first year on the eligibility list are:
The player list also includes 13 finalists who return from the 2026 election: Kyle Beckerman, Matt Besler, Geoff Cameron, Stephanie Lopez Cox, Dwayne DeRosario, Maurice Edu, Jermaine Jones, Robbie Keane, Chad Marshall, Samantha Mewis, Oguchi Onyewu, Amy Rodriguez, and Diego Valeri.
Edu and Onyewu are in their final year of eligibility on the Player ballot, along with Bryce Boarman, Andrew Feld, Shalrie Joseph, and Lewie Valentine. If not elected, they would move to the Veteran Eligibility List for the 2028 election.
To be eligible for election as a Player, an individual must be retired for at least three full calendar years, but for no more than 10 full calendar years, and have either:
The Veteran Screening Committee will reduce the 127-person list to a 10-person final ballot through a two-step screening process.
The list includes 20 people who are appearing on the Veteran Eligibility List for the first time and four — Hubert Birkenmaier, Ken Cooper Sr., Steve Pecher, and David Vanole — who were restored to the list via appeal.
Those appearing on the Veteran Eligibility List for the first time are:
The 2026 Veteran finalists who return to the eligibility list are David Beckham, Chico Borja, Lorrie Fair, Francis Farberoff, Clint Mathis, Tiffany Roberts, Tatu and Aly Wagner.
To be eligible for election as a Veteran, an individual must be retired for more than 10 full calendar years and have either:
Builders are considered in three categories: referees, coaches and contributors. Beginning with 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 2027 Builder election is open to coaches only.
The Builder Screening Committee will narrow the list of 32 candidates to a four-person final ballot through a two-step process.
To qualify for consideration in this category, an individual must have left a distinct mark on soccer in a non-playing capacity and demonstrated a substantial, enduring and positive influence on the sport within the United States at the national or first-division professional level. Eligible candidates must be at least 50 years old and have demonstrated their significant contribution for a minimum of 10 years.
Complete information about the election and eligibility procedures is available online 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.