United States World Cup 2026 squad: Mauricio Pochettino names final squad

USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino holds a press conference ahead of the 2026 World Cup — United States coach Mauricio Pochettino speakd to the press ahead of the 2026 World Cup. (Image credit: Getty Images)

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Squad
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The United States have named their squad for the 2026 World Cup, as they prepare to host the biggest prize in football this summer.

USMNT, led by former Tottenham and PSG boss Mauricio Pochettino, qualified automatically for World Cup 2026 and enter with one of the younger squads at the tournament.

They agonisingly lost the Gold Cup final to World Cup co-hosts Mexico last year, and despite turning their fortunes round slightly in their meetings since – including a 5-1 win over Uruguay – they're unlikely to start the tournament as one of the favourites.

Pochettino has been relatively consistent with his selections since joining in 2024, and he's even been handed injury boosts ahead of the competition with the likes of Sergino Dest and Tyler Adams returning.

Fulham full-back Antonee Robinson was another name on that sidelined list in the last squad, but he has made the final roster for the 2026 World Cup after a successful recovery.

There is plenty of Premier League talent among Pochettino's line-up, with Leeds United's Brenden Aaronson, Crystal Palace ace Chris Richards, and Haji Wright, who will be making the step up to the top flight next season with Coventry City after another successful campaign in the Championship.

With an elite manager at the helm, who's had substantial time to work with his players, it will be interesting to see how far USMNT can get in front of a home crowd.

Mood

Back in 2018, when the USA missed out on the World Cup for the first time since 1986, Mauricio Pochettino was considered one of the global game’s top managers. Following an underwhelming PSG chapter sandwiched between trophyless spells with Tottenham and Chelsea, however, his stock took a plunge. So, he left club football behind to take charge of the USA after their dismal group-stage exit from the 2024 Copa America.

The jury is still out on Pochettino. His side lost to Panama and Canada in the 2025 CONCACAF Nations League Finals and in friendlies against Turkey, Switzerland and South Korea, all on home soil. But, after the team closed out 2025 with victories over Japan, Australia, Paraguay and Uruguay, USA supporters will like their chances going into the 2026 World Cup in North America.

When the USA fell to the Dutch in the 2022 World Cup’s last 16, fans were nevertheless encouraged by the fact that their prized assets would be entering their prime in 2026 – players such as Antonee Robinson (now 28), Tyler Adams (27), Chris Richards (26) and Brenden Aaronson (25), who have established themselves as vital cogs in Premier League teams. Meanwhile, Mark McKenzie and Tanner Tessman are thriving in Ligue 1 and Malik Tillman, Johnny Cardoso, Ricardo Pepi and Yunus Musa are excelling in the Champions League. With the exception of 27-year-old McKenzie, they’re all aged 23 or 24.

It wasn’t long ago that the USA looked in danger of becoming a one-man team that lived and breathed with Christian Pulisic. Now, though, with Folarin Balogun scoring for fun at Monaco and Weston McKennie delivering the best form of his career at Juventus, that couldn’t be any further from the truth. This is a team with multiple weapons in every single position.

This is the time for the USA to unlock their full potential and show their ability to the world, in a home tournament. Anything less than a first knockout win in the World Cup since 2002 (and second overall) has to be considered a failure for the Stars and Stripes. It’s now or never.

Squad

United States World Cup 2026 squad: Final 26-man squad announced

GK: Matt Turner (New England Revolution)
GK: Matt Freese (New York City FC)
GK: Chris Brady (Chicago Fire)
DF: Sergino Dest (PSV)
DF: Tim Ream (Charlotte FC)
DF: Antonee Robinson (Fulham)
DF: Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati)
DF: Chris Richards (Crystal Palace)
DF: Mark McKenzie (Toulouse)
DF: Joe Scally (Borussia Monchengladbach)
DF: Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew)
DF: Alex Freeman (Villarreal)
DF: Auston Trusty (Celtic)
MF: Weston McKennie (Juventus)
MF: Tyler Adams (Bournemouth)
MF: Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders)
MF: Giovanni Reyna (Borussia Monchengladbach)
MF: Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen)
MF: Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps)
MF: Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United)
FW: Christian Pulisic (AC Milan)
FW: Timothy Weah (Marseille)
FW: Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven)
FW: Folarin Balogun (Monaco)
FW: Haji Wright (Coventry City)
FW: Alex Zendejas (Club America)

Fixtures and results

Fixtures

May 31, 2026: United States vs Senegal, Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina (friendly)
June 6, 2026: United States vs Germany, Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois (friendly)
June 12, 2026: United States vs Paraguay, SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California
June 19, 2026: United States vs Australia, Lumen Field, Seattle, Washington
June 26, 2026: Turkey vs United States, SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California

Who is the United States' manager?

Mauricio Pochettino acknowledges the fans prior to Soccer Aid for UNICEF 2024 at Stamford Bridge on June 09, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Henry Browne/Getty Images) — Mauricio Pochettino, Manager of the USMNT (Image credit: Getty Images)

Since taking charge of the USMNT in 2024, Mauricio Pochettino has already experienced his fair share of highs and lows in his maiden international job. The USA have struggled against higher-ranked opponents, losing in friendlies against Portugal, South Korea, Belgium, Turkey and Switzerland. They also lost in the CONCACAF Nations League semifinals and third-place match vs. Panama and Canada.

Still, despite missing various key players like Christian Pulisic, Ricardo Pepi and Weston McKennie, the USMNT made it all the way to the Gold Cup final, where they relinquished an early lead and lost 2-1 to Mexico.

After going on a good run, including four wins and one draw against the likes of Australia, Japan, Uruguay and Ecuador, Pochettino will be hoping his side can recover from back-to-back defeats against Belgium and Portugal and make an impact as one of the host nations at this year's World Cup.

Pochettino has previously had spells with Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, Southampton, and PSG at club level.

Star player

Who is the United States' star player?

Tyler Adams of the United States looking for an open man during a game between Japan and USMNT at D&uuml;sseldorf Arena on September 23, 2022 in D&uuml;sseldorf, Germany. — Tyler Adams is key to the US (Image credit: Brad Smith/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

He may not get the same headlines as Christian Pulisic, but Tyler Adams has demonstrated time and time again that he is the USMNT's most indispensable player, and he'll be looking to guide them to glory in the upcoming World Cup.

Born and raised in New York, Adams ascended New York Red Bulls' academy before making the move to Europe in 2019 with RB Leipzig. He established himself as one of the Bundesliga's best defensive midfielders alongside the likes of Joshua Kimmich and Diadie Samassekou before making the move to Leeds, spending just one year there before moving to Bournemouth in 2023.

Adams' tenacious tackling and never-say-die mentality, combined with his precise passing and impressive shielding of the ball has converted him into one of the first names on the team sheet for club and country. And after wearing the captain's armband in the previous FIFA World Cup, all signs point to Adams having a massive role to play on home soil in 2026.

Best XI

TOPICS

After getting his big breakthrough as the co-founder of the football analytics website Breaking The Lines, Zachary Lowy has been able to tap into his footballing expertise for a number of esteemed outlets like ESPN, FotMob, The Times, The Independent and Urban Pitch. Since joining FourFourTwo as a freelancer in 2025, Lowy has been able to cover a wide range of topics from analyzing the sweeping changes to the MLS season to interviewing key figures like Asamoah Gyan and Rob Holding. Fluent in Spanish, Portuguese and Italian, Lowy’s versatile skillset has allowed him to traverse a number of different fields when covering major competitions like the FIFA Club World Cup. In addition to football, he is also a seasoned participant of other sports like pickleball, tennis, and volleyball.

USA squad World Cup 2026: Mauricio Pochettino's team for opening game with Paraguay