National Soccer Hall of Fame Announces 2026 Semifinalists for Veteran, Builder Ballots
MLS FC Dallas

National Soccer Hall of Fame Announces 2026 Semifinalists for Veteran, Builder Ballots

Published on August 12, 2025 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
FC Dallas News Release


FRISCO, Texas - The National Soccer Hall of Fame today released the names of the semifinalists on the Veteran and Builder ballots for the Class of 2026.

The Player Ballot, which considers players who have been retired for at least three years but no more than 10 years, is in the screening process. The Hall of Fame released the names of all eligible candidates in July.

The Veteran Ballot is the path to the Hall of Fame for players who have been retired for more than 10 full calendar years. The Builder Ballot is the path to the Hall of Fame for individuals who contribute to the sport in a non-playing capacity.

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 finalists for all three ballots will be announced at the conclusion of the screening process. Player, Veteran and Builder Voting Committees will elect 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 25 Veteran semifinalists were selected by the nine-person Veteran Screening Committee from the list of 113 eligible candidates. The next step in the Veteran election will be for the Screening Committee to narrow the field to 10 finalists. The 24-person Veteran Voting Committee will determine who will be inducted; the finalist who receives the most votes will be elected, and a second finalist also may be elected if they receive at least 75% of the votes.

2026 Veteran Ballot Semifinalists

- David Beckham

- Gregg Berhalter

- Chico Borja

- Sean Bowers

- Lori Chalupny*

- Brian Ching

- Jimmy Conrad

- Kevin Crow

- Lorrie Fair

- Francis Farberoff

- Kevin Hartman

- Frankie Hejduk

- Lori Henry

- Dominic Kinnear

- Karina LeBlanc*

- Clint Mathis

- Shep Messing

- Heather Mitts

- Victor Nogueira^

- Tiffany Roberts

- Tony Sanneh

- Lindsay Tarpley

- Tatu

- Aly Wagner

- Cat Reddick Whitehill*

* First year on Veteran Ballot

^ Previously sunsetted and restored to the eligibility list by appeal

The 10 Builder semifinalists were selected by the nine-person Builder Screening Committee from the list of 47 eligible candidates. The next step in the Builder election will be for the Screening Committee to narrow the field to four finalists. The 24-person Builder Voting Committee will determine who will be elected.

2026 Builder Ballot Semifinalists

- Gino D'Ippolito

- Mark Geiger

- Brian Hall

- Sandra Hunt

- Vince Mauro

- Harry Rogers

- Ricardo Salazar

- Kari Seitz

- Kevin Stott

- Terry Vaughn

More Information

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.

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