The United States men’s national team will open the 2026 FIFA World Cup on home soil June 12 against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, beginning a tournament that could define the program’s current generation. The Americans are expected to lean heavily on Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Folarin Balogun as Mauricio Pochettino guides the team into its first World Cup appearance under the former Tottenham and Chelsea manager.
Pulisic remains the face of the program entering the tournament. The AC Milan winger scored the winning goal against Iran in the 2022 World Cup and became the fastest player in U.S. men’s national team history to reach 50 goal contributions. McKennie has developed into one of the team’s most reliable midfielders with Juventus, earning Serie A Team of the Season honors for 2025-26. Balogun enters the World Cup cycle as the United States’ top striker after emerging at Monaco and becoming the only American player in Europe’s top five leagues to reach double-digit goals this season.
The United States will play group-stage matches in Los Angeles, Seattle and Atlanta during the opening round of the tournament. FIFA expanded the World Cup to 48 teams for 2026, with matches spread across the United States, Canada and Mexico. Dallas, Houston, Miami, Kansas City, Philadelphia and New York/New Jersey are among the American host cities scheduled to stage knockout-round matches later in the tournament.
Pulisic said last month the current roster is “the strongest” group he has been part of with the national team ahead of the home World Cup. The United States reached the Round of 16 in Qatar in 2022 and will attempt to make a deeper run in front of home crowds next summer.
Fans can follow Team USA through official FIFA broadcasts, U.S. Soccer digital platforms and national television coverage throughout the tournament. The Americans open group play against Paraguay on June 12 before additional matches later in June determine whether the U.S. advances into the knockout stage.
Leave a comment