Nations League hampers USMNT’s 2026 World Cup preparations

The U.S. men’s national team will look to take the next step towards a third consecutive CNL title when they face Jamaica in the Concacaf Nations League semifinals on Thursday.

The U.S. defeated Mexico 3-2 in overtime to win the inaugural tournament in 2021, and retained the trophy two years later with a 2-0 win over Canada. A win against Jamaica and a win in the final three days later would cement America’s status as the Kings of Concacaf (at least in terms of the CNL).

But win or lose, there are questions to ask regarding America and the Nations League. It’s about how much, if anything, the Americans, and other top teams in the region, stand to gain. Especially how is he competing for the 2026 World Cup?

It is clear that CNL is a positive for the entire region and Concacaf’s 41 member organizations. The Nations League is an important engine for the development of Central American and Caribbean national teams. Before the introduction of the Nations League, some countries could go years without their men’s national teams playing. For example, the Cayman Islands did not host a single match from April 2015 to August 2018.

When the creation of the tournament was announced in March, Concacaf president Victor Montagliani said: “The Nations League will ensure that all members have the opportunity to play more and compete more, thereby ensuring that all levels This will promote further development of the sport.” 2018.

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The years that followed confirmed this. The CNL is divided into three leagues: A, B, and C, with promotion and relegation based on the final standings of each group. The winners of the League A groups will play against each other to determine the CNL champion. This will ensure that matches can be played consistently in any country. Thanks to the Nations League, the Cayman Islands played five games in 2023 alone.

CNL’s value proposition to top teams in the U.S., Mexico and other regions is less clear. Would you rather play against a familiar opponent in a knockout format tournament or in a famous friendly match against someone like Brazil or Spain?

That very question was posed to U.S. men’s national team coach Gregg Berhalter during a conference call with reporters last week. He said he thinks there is value in both types of matches. Berhalter said the atmosphere is different in knockout-style tournaments, given the possibility of overtime and penalties.

“There is no room for mistakes. Learning that over and over again is invaluable to the group,” he said. “And I think playing against high-profile opponents like Colombia and Brazil is all part of the plan, and I think for the fans they get to see those opponents. Being able to experience what it’s like to compete and be challenged.” Being successful in those games will also help this team grow. ”

To be clear, the United States is not going to win against Concacaf opponents every time. After all, the United States lost to Trinidad and Tobago last November. However, Concacaf already hosts the Gold Cup, which is held every two years and provides an opportunity for top teams to compete in a tournament format. Is there really a need to add yet another tournament to the tournaments that are held every year, with a few exceptions? The redundancy is obvious.

With the 2026 World Cup approaching, a more varied schedule is needed.

“I think it’s only natural. Players have to play on the best teams in the world in order to grow, and that’s true,” said Hugo, a former U.S. national team coach who also coached El Salvador and the U.S. U.S. League. Perez said. 15 national teams. “It doesn’t matter if we lose, draw or win, because now we are preparing for a big event like the World Cup.”

Certainly, there are some positive aspects to a potential matchup against rival Mexico. While rivalry games encourage players to take on tougher assignments in the future, there’s also a sense that there are benefits to playing against unfamiliar teams.

“The Nations League is your field and you already know it,” Perez said. “for [El Salvador] It was very important because the players wanted to show that they can play against them who are worth millions. But you’re on the other side and they’re like, “Oh, come on.” This is still a Nations League tournament and we have to win, but the mentality is a little different. ”

It could be argued that the former Nations League had some value in that it served as preparation for World Cup qualifiers. The players became familiar with the challenges of playing in the Caribbean and Central America, including weather, travel, hostile crowds and less-than-clean playing conditions. But with Canada, Mexico and the United States co-hosting the 2026 World Cup, that benefit has shrunk to zero, at least for this cycle, with the Nations League typically taking up two of the five FIFA international slots each year. . . (Three were featured in the 2019 edition of the contest, but Concacaf reduced this commitment in subsequent iterations of his CNL.)

Commercial aspects also need to be considered. Concacaf told ESPN that the CNL winner will receive $2 million, the runner-up will receive $1 million, the third-place team will receive $600,000, and the fourth-place team will receive $200,000. admitted. The current CBA for U.S. players stipulates that 70% of prize money will come from the CNL, so while the USSF could earn some money by winning the Nations League, one federation official said it would not host a friendly match. He suggested that it would not be profitable to do so. That’s where revenue comes from TV and sponsorship activations. This is especially true when the world’s bigger teams come to town.

The same goes for Mexico, who regularly schedule friendlies in the United States thanks to a deal with Soccer United Marketing.

Dennis te Klose, sporting director of Dutch club Feyenoord and previously GM of the Mexican national team, said: “The commercial impact of any opponent Mexico plays on American soil is amazing.” It’s a thing,” he said. “Obviously, we have sold out houses everywhere we go because of the support of the fans and the amount of true believers in the Mexican team. Friendly matches can provide huge commercial benefits for the Mexican federation. There is always a challenge and balance. It’s about finding the right opponents and not playing against the same opponents over and over again, which is also appealing to the players.

“To be honest, it doesn’t make commercial sense to play at home at Azteca Stadium against, say, a Caribbean team. It actually costs money.”

Unfortunately for the region’s biggest teams, there aren’t many alternatives when it comes to scheduling friendlies against the world’s better national teams. With the arrival of the UEFA Nations League combined with World Cup qualifiers, all FIFA international windows from now until November 2025 are firmly booked in that region of the world. Similar restrictions exist in South America, as CONMEBOL’s Marathon World Cup qualifiers are scheduled to run until September 2025. World Cup qualifying campaigns in Asia and Africa and qualification for the 2025 African Cup of Nations further limit options.

Looking at the FIFA calendar, there is some room available for the United States. South America will have free dates in October and November 2025, and Asia will have free dates in September 2025. With the final round of the World Cup playoffs starting next November, more opponents should be available. Africa will open in June. However, nothing is guaranteed given the rearward movement objective of securing the enemy.

The United States isn’t completely at a loss when it comes to finding a top-tier contender for the 2026 World Cup. There will be friendly matches against Colombia and Brazil in June. The Copa America will give them an extra chance against a formidable opponent. However, with the 2026 World Cup just two years away, Berhalter will no doubt be keen to make the most of the opportunity to test his squad.

In terms of preparedness, the current situation is far from ideal.