National Soccer Hall of Fame boosts maximum annual class size to six

Frisco, Texas — The National Soccer Hall of Fame announced changes to its election and eligibility process for 2022 that raises the annual class size from a maximum of four inductees to a maximum of six.

The update, which was approved by the NSHOF Board of Directors, makes it possible for a third candidate from the Player ballot and a second candidate from the Veteran ballot to be elected if they are named to at least 75% of the ballots.

The previous process, adopted before the 2021 elections, saw the maximum four inductees elected in the Class of 2021.

“We believe these changes are necessary as we continue to evolve the election policies and procedures,” said Djorn Buchholz, Executive Director of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. “Our goal is to honor those that have given the greatest contribution to our game in this country and these changes certainly send us further down that path.”

The Hall of Fame also released the 2022 Screening and Voting Committees (Selection Committee), comprised of a diverse list of soccer experts in the United States. The role of the Screening Committees is to create the final ballot for consideration for the Voting Committees and to put forth a list of Players, Veterans and Builders who are most deserving of consideration to be elected to the Hall of Fame. The role of the Voting Committees is to vote on the Final Ballot to determine who will be elected in each cycle. All members of the Screening Committees also serve on their respective Voting Committee.

The full breakdown of the updated National Soccer Hall of Fame eligibility and election rules can be found here. The membership of the Screening and Voting Committees for 2022 can be found here.

The 2021 National Soccer Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is Saturday, October 2 at Toyota Stadium. It will feature a combined ceremony that enshrines the class of 2021 which includes Christie Pearce Rampone, Steve Cherundolo, Jaime Moreno and Kevin Payne, along with the class of 2020: Carlos Bocanegra and Colin Jose Media Award honoree Andrés Cantor. The 2020 ceremony was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.