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Donald Trump called the USMNT’s coach, Mauricio Pochettino, ahead of their World Cup opening fixture this evening against Paraguay.
It was revealed by Andrew Giuliani, head of the White House World Cup Task Force, that Trump is not expected to be in attendance at the Sofi Stadium in Los Angeles, citing a scheduling issue.
The 47th president of the United States instead called Pochettino to rally the USMNT, and offer a rather hopeful assessment of their World Cup 2026 chances.
Donald Trump’s phone call to Mauricio Pochettino ahead of USA vs Paraguay showdown
The USA will begin their World Cup 2026 campaign against Paraguay this evening in Los Angeles at the SoFi Stadium, home of NFL teams the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers.
The two teams previously faced off in a November 2025 friendly — ending 2-1 with goals arriving through Folarin Balogun, Giovanni Reyna and Alex Arce.
During the pair’s phone call, which was captured on video and uploaded to the USMNT’s X (formerly Twitter) account, Trump said: “I just called to say you’re a fantastic guy and a fantastic coach.
“I know all about your record and your success, and I know how great the players are,” continued the President.
Trump concluded with a hopeful assessment of the USMNT’s World Cup hopes: “I think you have a really good chance of going all the way. So I just want to wish you a lot of luck.”
In response, Pochettino said: “Thank you so much for your support, Mr President, and we are going to do everything to make you proud and all the people here in this country.”
Despite Trump’s expected absence this evening in Los Angeles, the president of Paraguay, Santiago Pena, has announced he will be present to support the national team.
Last night, we received a message of support from POTUS ahead of our World Cup journey. pic.twitter.com/MVPITGldtSJune 12, 2026
This opening fixture pits Group D’s highest and lowest ranked teams against each other — with USA at 17th in the FIFA world rankings, and Paraguay at 41st.
Despite this, the latter enters the match in slightly better form, with three wins in their last five games, compared to USA’s two wins in their last five.
Stats provider Opta Analyst has predicted a 40% chance of victory for Pochettino’s men, and a 33% chance for Paraguay.
