The Chicago Fire are on a World Cup break this month, but three of their stars will be on the field for the massive tournament beginning this week.
Among the stars getting the call to their respective teams are Team USA goalkeeper Chris Brady, Canada defender Joel Waterman and South Africa defender Mbekezeli Mbokazi.
With them, the Fire now can boast seven occasions when their squad’s players have been selected for World Cup representation.
Before Switzerland midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri got a call up for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, it had been a staggering 20 years since a Fire player had been called up to his country’s roster for the tournament.
What Fire players have gone to the World Cup throughout history? Here is a rundown of the seven players:
Jorge Campos (1998)
Representing Mexico, the goalkeeper made history in France as the first Fire player to set foot at an edition of the World Cup, according to the Fire. Campos played one season with the Fire, starring with the club during their inaugural season.
At the World Cup, he started all three group stage games for Mexico and their Round of 16 match against Germany, where the Mexican side fell 2-1.
DaMarcus Beasley (2002)
In Japan and South Korea, the American defender started the United States’ opening group stage match against Portugal, followed by a match against co-hosts South Korea, and was a substitute in the third match against Poland.
He played for the Fire between 2000 and 2004, and made history as the first Fire player to start and play for the United States at a World Cup.
Josh Wolff (2002)
Alongside Beasley, Wolff also represented the United States in Japan and South Korea. Wolff played with the Fire from 1998 to 2002. At the World Cup, he only played two games, the second group stage match against South Korea and the Round of 16 match against Mexico, but he ended up providing a crucial assist in the latter to move onto the quarterfinals.
The team would fall to a 1-0 defeat against Germany there.
Xherdan Shaqiri (2022)
20 years later, Shaqiri got a call up for the Serbian national soccer team while playing for the Fire. He played two and a half seasons with the Fire, between February 2022 and August 2024.
In Qatar, the tournament host, Shaqiri started three out of four matches. He recorded two assists and a crucial goal against Cameroon that sent Serbia into the Round of 16, where they fell 6-1 against Portugal.
Chris Brady (2026)
Brady has been at the Fire for six years, starting with the team’s youth academy in 2017 before signing a professional Homegrown Player deal in 2020. The Naperville native had his first MLS start in October 2022, and became the team’s main goalkeeper in 2023.
The United States will play against Paraguay, Australia and Türkiye in the group stage.
Joel Waterman (2026)
Waterman is a recent acquisition from the Fire, joining in August 2025. He featured in the 2022 World Cup when he was still a CF Montréal player. With over five years of experience playing with the Canadian national soccer team, Waterman will continue this mark when they face Bosnia and Herzegovina, Qatar and Switzerland in the World Cup group stage.
Mbekezeli Mbokazi (2026)
Mbokazi is also new to the Fire, joining in December 2025. He has started all 12 regular season matches in the 2026 season so far and has tallied 10 appearances with the South Africa team. South Africa will inaugurate the tournament against co-hosts Mexico on Thursday, followed by matches against Czechia and South Korea.
The World Cup will run from June 11 through July 19, and fans of the Fire will have to wait and see what will be in store for each of the called up players.
