By Kenny Griffel, International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame World Cup
In celebration of the 2026 World Cup, here are Jewish sportspeople involved in this year’s tournament. In the history of World Cup tournaments, there have not been many Jewish athletes competing in the World Cup, with the main exception being the 1970 World Cup, the lone example where 22 Jewish athletes represented Israel in Mexico, after qualifying as the only team from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
While there are few players to recognize for this year’s tournament, there will be many Jewish voices featured on both English and Spanish-language broadcasts of this years’ FIFA World Cup.
Matt Turner, the lone Jewish athlete from this year’s World Cup, is once again representing the USA in their conquest for glory.
From Park Ridge, NJ, Turner will be playing in his second World Cup, after starring in goal for the US at the 2022 World Cup, where he kept clean sheets against England and Iran.
After playing for multiple English teams, including Arsenal, the current Premier League champions, Turner is back in America, playing goalkeeper for the New England Revolution.
Recently, Turner recognized his Jewish roots, wearing the Lithuanian flag on his jersey during an MLS game. His Lithuanian heritage comes from his father, whose relatives had to change their name from “Turnovski” to “Turner” after immigrating to the US to escape persecution.
When it comes to the World Cup, Andres Cantor is the premier voice of the tournament. Since his first World Cup in 1990, Cantor has been calling the biggest games in soccer history. With his iconic ¡GOOOOOL! calls, Cantor’s voice is recognizable and authentic, becoming globally recognized as a premier voice of soccer.
The 2025 International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame Inductee has lent his voices to many movies and tv shows, and will broadcast the Spanish-language coverage of the World Cup on Telemundo. Born in Buenos Aires, his grandparents fled Poland amid Jewish persecution.
José Pékerman is an analyst for this year’s World Cup on Telemundo. A native of Argentina, Pékerman coached Argentina in the 2006 World Cup, where he called upon an 18-year-old Lionel Messi, giving him his World Cup debut.
Pékerman also named Juan Pablo Sorin as the captain of that 2006 Argentina team. Sorin, like Pékerman, is Jewish, which made that team the second instance on which both the manager and captain of a World Cup team were Jewish. Pékerman also managed Colombia twice, at both the 2014 and 2018 World Cup.
Pékerman, whose Jewish roots are in Ukraine, grew up in the Villa Crespo neighborhood of Buenos Aires, where he played with his local Maccabi soccer club as a child.
Benny Feilhaber is covering the 2026 World Cup for CBS. A former player of the US Men’s National Team, he played midfield in the 2010 World Cup, where the US finished first in its group, ahead of England.
In that team, he played with Jonathan Bornstein and Jonathan Spector, both of whom are also Jewish.
This marked the sole instance where three Jewish players represented the US Men’s National Team at a World Cup.
Feilhaber also played in the 2005 Maccabiah Games, where his performances led to him signing his first professional contract.
Originally born in Brazil, his Jewish roots are in Austria, where his grandparents lived prior to WW II.
Nico Cantor is also covering the 2026 World Cup for CBS.
The host of the massively successful “The Golazo! Show” has become one of the faces of Champions League coverage for CBS over the past couple of years.
Son of soccer broadcaster Andres Cantor (see above), Nico has established himself as one of the premier on-air personalities for soccer lovers in the US. This summer, Nico he is traveling across the US to every World Cup host city, covering the games and the cultural atmosphere that surrounds the World Cup.
Roger Bennett is one of the most popular media personalities in the American soccer atmosphere. His “Men In Blazers” Network features shows with American soccer legends Clint Dempsey, Tyler Adams, Becky Sauerbrunn and Lindsey Heaps.
Over the past year, Bennett has traveled all over the US, interviewing athletes of all sports and creating excitement for this year’s tournament.
He has interviewed all of the biggest Premier League soccer stars, American stars and celebrities like Jason Sudeikis, Matthew McConaughey and John Oliver.
This summer, he is hosting live watch-alongs with celebrity guests and athletes, as we cheer on the US at the World Cup. Both a knowledgeable and comedic voice, Bennett hails from Liverpool, where he grew up in a Jewish family, before moving to the US, where he has covered soccer for 30 years.
