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USMNT opens 2026 World Cup at SoFi Stadium
FIFA has announced the schedule for the 2026 World Cup. The U.S. men’s national team will open at SoFi Stadium, and MetLife Stadium will be the venue for the World Cup finals.
Fox – LA
WASHINGTON — The 2026 World Cup still feels like an eternity away, with more than 800 days until the U.S. men’s national soccer team plays its first group stage game in Los Angeles.
But for USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter, planning for 2026 began long ago. The next two years or more will be a critical period. And expectations for the Men’s World Cup, which will be played on American soil for the first time since 1994, are high and clear.
“In my opinion, there are varying degrees of success,” Berhalter told USA TODAY Sports on Wednesday. “But I think it starts with going for a round or going somewhere you’ve never been before.”
And for the U.S., that means advancing to the semifinals.
“I think that’s when you start thinking, ‘Wow, this group really did something with it,'” Berhalter continued.
“America is going crazy, and American soccer will be changed forever.”
This is certainly an audacious goal. Especially for a team that has only won one game in modern World Cup history, against Mexico in 2002. But with another important international tournament, the Copa America, to be held in the United States later this year, Berhalter is looking into what’s at stake for his current squad this year and whether they’ll be able to win the world championships. We are clear about what needs to happen over the next two years to put us in the best position for a top spot in the Cup.
The USMNT will not have to endure the usual challenges of Concacaf qualifying, as they have already secured a spot in the 2026 World Cup as one of the tournament’s three hosts. Berhalter said the qualification process helped strengthen the USMNT’s core group of players for the 2022 World Cup, but the tests needed this time around are different.
“Now this group has to learn not how to beat Jamaica on the road, but how to beat better teams. We are beyond that,” Berhalter explained. “It’s still going to be difficult, but our bigger challenge is how do we prepare the team to beat Argentina at home in front of 80,000 people? That’s our bigger challenge. ”
Berhalter, 50, led the USMNT for just over four years until his contract expires at the end of 2022, after the United States reached the round of 16 at the Qatar World Cup and lost to the Netherlands. After six months under two interim coaches, U.S. Soccer ultimately chose to rehire Berhalter in June. His current contract runs until the end of the 2026 World Cup.
With no Concaf qualifying, Coach Berhalter likened his team’s World Cup preparations to building a brick wall. One metaphorical brick, he said, will be his experience in knockout tournaments like the Copa America, where the U.S. faces Bolivia, Panama and Uruguay in Group C; another is his experience on June 8. He said it would be an exhibition experience against a top-level opponent, such as the friendly match against Colombia. It was announced on Tuesday. (According to multiple reports, the United States is scheduled to play Brazil on June 12th.)
“Whenever we have a friendly, we try to play against the best opponent we can,” he said. “The whole idea of building this group is that by the time we get to the World Cup, we have comfort in the fact that, OK, we’ve done it before. We’re playing against the best teams. We played in the finals. We’re ready.”
The 2024 Paris Olympics, which begin 10 days after the Copa America concludes, is also part of the equation. Berhalter said the U.S. will prioritize Copa America, but there are several regular starters who are age-eligible to play in Paris, including Gio Reyna and Yunus Moussa. (At the Olympics, the men’s soccer roster must consist of players under the age of 23, but each country is allotted three exceptions.)
Berhalter has had casual conversations with USMNT players about their possible interest in going to Paris, but it’s unclear which players would be the best fit for Team USA, and perhaps just as important. , he said that he sometimes receives permission from his club team to play. At the tournament.
“Certainly, it’s a jigsaw puzzle,” Berhalter said. “If you don’t think a player is going to get enough game time in the Copa America, or if he hasn’t played much for his club during the season, (that) could be great.” “Okay, this guy… An opportunity to say, “I might be a candidate for the Olympic team.” ”
The USMNT obviously wants to do well and win trophies in all of these competitions, including the Olympics, Copa America, and even the Concacaf Gold Cup and two Nations League tournaments. However, Berhalter stressed that all these events are just stopping points on the road to the 2026 World Cup.
He said his ultimate goal is not just to advance to the finals or semifinals, but to win it all. “And it’s challenging,” he said.
But is that possible for this particular demographic of players?
“I don’t know yet, to be honest. So I’m glad it’s been two and a half years,” Berhalter said. “I think so. If you think about our players, 12 or 15 of us have been playing at the highest level every week. They’re playing in Champions League games, which is the highest level at club level. “And when you’re in that type of arena, you know what it takes to win a difficult match. We have enough players who understand that and can handle those types of matches. So there’s a chance.”
Contributor: Steve Berkowitz
Contact Tom Schad at tschad@usatoday.com or on social media @Tom_Schad.
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