The 2026 FIFA World Cup arrives in North America on Thursday, and for the first time since 1994 the United States men's national team will play a World Cup match on its own soil. For Frisco, a city that hosts FC Dallas at Toyota Stadium and the National Soccer Hall of Fame, the build-up has been a months long civic event. The U.S. opens its Group D campaign on Friday, June 12 against Paraguay at the Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood, and head coach Mauricio Pochettino has used the final week of preparation to settle a starting eleven that mixes European-based veterans with a younger attacking core.
Group D and the road to the round of 32
The United States enters the tournament drawn into Group D alongside Paraguay, Australia and Turkey. All three group stage matches will be played on American soil, according to the schedule published by Fox Sports. The U.S. opens against Paraguay on June 12 at the Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood, with kickoff scheduled for 9 p.m. Eastern. The team then travels to Seattle to face Australia on June 19 in a 3 p.m. Eastern kickoff, before returning to Los Angeles to close group play against Turkey on June 25 at 10 p.m. Eastern.
ESPN's reporting on the bracket notes that if the United States wins Group D, the team will advance to the round of 32 to face an opponent that will not be determined until the group stage is complete. A second place finish sends the United States into a round of 32 matchup against the runner-up of Group G, which contains Belgium, Egypt, Iran and New Zealand. A third place finish would only advance the team as one of the eight best third-placed teams, with elimination possible if those metrics do not break in the team's favor.
The 26-player roster
U.S. Soccer announced the 26-player roster on May 26, 2026. The squad blends a core of European based regulars with selected MLS contributors. Head coach Mauricio Pochettino kept faith with the players who carried the team through the qualification cycle and the 2024 Copa America.
Goalkeepers (3): Matt Turner (1), Matt Freese (24), Chris Brady (25).
Defenders (10): Sergino Dest (2), Chris Richards (3), Antonee Robinson (5), Auston Trusty (6), Miles Robinson (12), Tim Ream (13), Alex Freeman (16), Max Arfsten (18), Mark McKenzie (22), Joe Scally (23).
Midfielders (6): Tyler Adams (4), Gio Reyna (7), Weston McKennie (8), Sebastian Berhalter (14), Cristian Roldan (15), Malik Tillman (17).
Forwards (7): Christian Pulisic (10), Brenden Aaronson (11), Haji Wright (19), Folarin Balogun (20), Tim Weah (21), Ricardo Pepi (9), Alejandro Zendejas (26).
Roster details and jersey numbers are listed on the official U.S. Soccer team page. Pochettino has named veteran center back Tim Ream as captain for the tournament, a decision that places one of the squad's most experienced defenders in the on-field leadership role even with Adams continuing to anchor the midfield.
Expected starting lineup
Pochettino's preferred eleven came into focus during the final pre-tournament friendly. Per reporting in The Philadelphia Inquirer, the manager used the June 6 send-off match against Germany at Soldier Field as a final tuning session and finished with a clearer picture of who is likely to start in the Group D opener against Paraguay.
Expectations point to a 4-3-3 with Matt Turner in goal; a back four of Sergino Dest, Chris Richards, Tim Ream and Antonee Robinson; a midfield triangle of Tyler Adams as the holding midfielder with Weston McKennie and Malik Tillman ahead of him; and a front three of Tim Weah, Folarin Balogun and Christian Pulisic. Pochettino has indicated that all selections remain conditional on fitness in the final training sessions before kickoff.
Antonee Robinson scored the lone United States goal in the 2-1 friendly loss to Germany, equalizing in the 36th minute before Leroy Sane returned the lead to Germany in the 56th. Kai Havertz had given Germany an early lead in the second minute of the match.
Pochettino's message
Pochettino has set a high bar publicly. Through quotes carried by U.S. Soccer, the manager has repeatedly told players that they must "believe that they can win every game" and even the tournament itself. In March 2026, ahead of preparation matches, the Associated Press reported that Pochettino posed the rhetorical question "Why not us?" to his players, urging them to treat the World Cup on home soil as a chance to dream rather than merely to compete.
After the Germany friendly, Pochettino offered a measured but optimistic reading of the result. "I was thinking that we were lucky," he told reporters at Soldier Field, as reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer. "The reaction was amazing, was really positive," he added. "And that's why it's good, you know, that something not so good happened: to see the reaction and to create that atmosphere that we can deal with this type of situation that we can find in the future, and during the competition in the World Cup."
Players in their own words
Tyler Adams, the Bournemouth midfielder who has played the role of midfield anchor for the program since 2022, reflected on the home tournament in a diary published by Andscape. "It's really exciting to have the opportunity to play in a second World Cup, to be able to represent your country in front of friends and family," Adams said. "I dreamt of playing in World Cups as a kid and to have an opportunity to play in my second [on home soil] is going to be a bit surreal."
Adams also outlined the identity he believes will define the United States in the tournament. "You need to have that grit, that energy. And I feel like that's what the U.S. leans on, like that's who we are. That's in everything that we do," Adams told Andscape. He added that part of the motivation in this World Cup is the next generation of American players watching from home: "I want these kids that are watching to be able to watch me play and say, 'I want to be the next Tyler Adams. Like, how do I do that?'"
Forward Christian Pulisic, the team's all-time leading active scorer entering the tournament, returns for his second World Cup. Forward Folarin Balogun and midfielder Malik Tillman represent the new attacking pieces who joined the program after Qatar 2022, while veteran Tim Ream provides the defensive backbone as captain.
What to watch
The opener against Paraguay is rated by DraftKings as a near coin flip with the United States slightly favored at -105, according to figures published by ESPN. Models that combine Elo ratings with market odds, including ESPN's reference to the DTAI model, give the team roughly a 78 percent chance of advancing out of the group. Most ESPN writers polled for the network's bracket preview selected the United States to reach the round of 16, with several flagging Turkey as the most difficult Group D opponent on paper.
Pochettino has rejected the framing of a low ceiling. Quoted by U.S. Soccer after the squad announcement and again ahead of the tournament, he has emphasized that the team must take the World Cup seriously as a championship target rather than as an exercise in survival. Whether the United States can convert that ambition into results begins Friday in Los Angeles.
References
U.S. Soccer. (2026, May 26). USMNT 2026 FIFA World Cup roster announcement. U.S. Soccer Federation. https://www.ussoccer.com/teams/usmnt/roster
Fox Sports. (2026, March 31). USMNT World Cup 2026 schedule, locations, dates and times. Fox Sports. https://www.foxsports.com/stories/soccer/usmnt-world-cup-2026-schedule-locations-dates-times
Tannenwald, J. (2026, June 8). USMNT has momentum going into the World Cup, even after Germany loss. The Philadelphia Inquirer. https://www.inquirer.com/soccer/world-cup-usmnt-germany-antonee-robinson-tyler-adams-20260607.html
Andscape Staff. (2026, June 9). Tyler Adams diary: Now the World Cup feels real. Andscape. https://andscape.com/features/tyler-adams-usmnt-world-cup-roster-preview-bournemouth-season-recap/
ESPN Soccer Staff. (2026, June 10). USMNT World Cup bracket scenarios, odds to advance. ESPN. https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/48953200/usmnt-usa-world-cup-scenarios-bracket-permutations-qualify-betting-odds-projections-predictions
Karlobag. (2026, June 10). Pochettino urges USA to believe in a World Cup 2026 title bid. Karlobag. https://karlobag.eu/en/sports/pochettino-urges-usa-to-believe-in-a-world-cup-2026-title-bid-and-a-historic-bre-v1glt/
