The United States will co-host the 2026 World Cup alongside Mexico and Canada, marking the second time the country has staged the tournament after 1994. This will be the USA's 12th World Cup appearance. Their finest showing came at the inaugural 1930 edition, where they reached the semifinals and finished third overall. As a co-host, the USA bypassed qualifying, but they have used friendlies to build squad depth and chemistry in the lead-up. At the 2025 Gold Cup, they finished runners-up, falling to Mexico in the final.
The roster blends emerging talent with players from the last World Cup. Headlining the group are Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams, Sergiño Dest, and Folarin Balogun. Gio Reyna also features, though he saw limited minutes in 2022, while Ricardo Pepi returns after missing that edition. Forward Haji Wright earns his place on the back of a standout Championship season with Coventry City. A more surprising inclusion is Club América winger Alejandro Zendejas, who had only been called up a handful of times by coach Mauricio Pochettino, but whose strong form in the Mexican league earned him a spot.
The most notable absence is Diego Luna. The Real Salt Lake midfielder struggled with injury early this season but has been in fine form since returning in April. Asked about the omission, Pochettino declined to elaborate, saying, "We cannot talk about the players who are not on the roster because I think it's very disrespectful." Defending his selections, he added, "We are confident this is the best group of 26 players to help us achieve success at the World Cup. These were very difficult decisions, and we are thankful to all the players who were part of this journey. This group is very focused and ready to give everything they have to represent the United States and deliver performances that will make the fans and the country proud."
In their final preparations, the USA will face Senegal on May 31 in Charlotte before traveling to Chicago to meet Germany on June 6. At the tournament, they have been drawn into Group D alongside Australia, Paraguay, and Türkiye. Team USA opens on June 12 against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, then faces Australia at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington, seven days later. For their final group match, they return to Inglewood to take on Türkiye on June 25.
US 2026 World Cup Squad:
Goalkeepers: Matt Turner (New England Revolution), Matt Freese (New York City FC), Chris Brady (Chicago Fire)
Defenders: Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Sergino Dest (PSV), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse), Auston Trusty (Celtic), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati), Alex Freeman (Villarreal), Maximilian Arfsten (Columbus Crew)
Midfielders: Tyler Adams (Bournemouth), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen), Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders), Giovanni Reyna (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United)
Forwards: Christian Pulisic (AC Milan), Folarin Balogun (Monaco), Timothy Weah (Olympique de Marseille), Ricardo Pepi (PSV), Haji Wright (Coventry City), Alejandro Zendejas (América)
