United States

The United States men’s national team are co-hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup alongside Canada and Mexico, and enter the tournament with arguably the most talented generation in the program’s history.

The USMNT under Gregg Berhalter have built a squad where almost every outfield position is covered by a player who starts regularly in a major European league. Christian Pulisic, captain and all-time leading scorer of his generation at Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund, and now AC Milan, provides the technical quality, direct running, and attacking output the wider program has needed a figure like since Landon Donovan. Gio Reyna, when fit, brings a creative intelligence that can unlock organised defences. Tyler Adams has been arguably the most important player in the squad: his pressing, his ball-winning in central midfield, and his leadership after injury setbacks placed him among the best defensive midfielders the US has ever produced. Weston McKennie, Ricardo Pepi, and Folarin Balogun give the front half of the pitch depth that previous US generations simply did not have.

The US last reached a World Cup semi-final in 1930, the inaugural tournament, where they lost 6-1 to Argentina. Their most celebrated modern performance was the 2002 quarter-final run in Korea/Japan, where they beat Portugal 3-2 and Mexico 2-0 before losing 1-0 to Germany. Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey defined that generation. The 2014 group of death included Germany, Portugal, and Ghana, and the US advanced from it before losing to Belgium in extra time.

The 2026 opportunity is generational in two senses: this is the best US squad since 2002, and the games are played at home.

The US spans four time zones. Most World Cup matches will be played on the East Coast and in the South. A 19:00 ET kickoff is 00:00 in London and 08:00 in Tokyo. Check US time for your local conversion.