SouthernWorldwide.com – The United States has officially unveiled its 26-man roster for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The squad features a mix of seasoned veterans and new talent, aiming to secure the ultimate prize on soccer’s grandest stage. This year’s tournament holds particular significance as the U.S. will be co-hosting alongside Mexico and Canada, competing on home soil.
Veteran captain Tim Ream, making his second World Cup appearance, is set to provide invaluable experience to the newcomers. His presence is expected to lay a crucial foundation for what the U.S. hopes will be a historic campaign.
“I’m just another cog in the machine,” Ream stated during the roster announcement broadcast in New York. “I try to help these guys as much as I can. Drawing on the experience that we had in 2022 is going to be important. We have a group that knows what’s important and knows what’s needed.”
The team is scheduled for its first training session on Wednesday. This will be followed by friendly matches against Senegal and Germany later this month, with the World Cup opener against Paraguay just over two weeks away on June 12.
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“It’s all hands on deck,” Ream emphasized. “We’re going after it from the very first session. You have to treat every session as if it’s the most important. We need to make sure that we’re ready to go on June 12 and that starts tomorrow.”
The roster includes first-time call-ups such as defender Chris Richards and midfielder Sebastian Berhalter. This tournament also marks the first World Cup for U.S. men’s national team head coach Mauricio Pochettino, who took the helm in September 2024. Despite his success with top European clubs, Pochettino is still seeking his first major trophy with the U.S.
When asked about the team’s prospects for success, midfielder Tyler Adams, a captain in the 2022 World Cup, highlighted Pochettino’s mindset and the team’s previous tournament experience as key factors.
“I think we’ve had the ambition from day one since Mauricio has come into the team of what exactly we need to do to accomplish that,” Adams shared during the broadcast. “We have experiences, ups and downs, throughout the past 18 months of learning.”
“The experience we gained in 2022 is something we’re going to have to lean on in order to go further than any team has gone, but I know that we have the teams and players to do that.”
In the 2022 World Cup held in Qatar, the United States successfully advanced from a challenging group that included England, Wales, and Iran. Despite an impressive 0-0 draw against England, their tournament run concluded with a 3-1 defeat to the Netherlands in the Round of 16.
Among the returning players is forward Tim Weah, who is expected to form a potent attacking trio with Christian Pulisic and Folarin Balogun under Pochettino’s guidance. Weah played a vital role in the 2022 campaign, scoring a crucial goal against Wales that helped the U.S. progress from the group stage. He expressed optimism for the current team’s prospects, acknowledging the lingering disappointment from their earlier exit in 2022.
“I think we left with a little bit of hurt last time,” Weah told FOX Sports’ Jenny Taft on stage. “Coming into this World Cup, we’re hoping for great stuff. We’ve dreamt about this moment our whole entire lives, and I’m happy to be here with my brothers.”
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is scheduled to take place from June 11 to July 19, 2026. The tournament, hosted across three nations, will culminate with the final match on July 19 at the New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. All 104 matches will be broadcast live on FOX and FS1, with every game also available for live and on-demand streaming on the FOX One platform and the FOX Sports app. A record 40 matches, representing over a third of the tournament, will be aired in prime time across FOX and FS1.
The opening match on June 11 between Mexico and South Africa (3 p.m. ET) will be streamed for free on Tubi. Additionally, the U.S.’s opening game against Paraguay on June 12 (9 p.m. ET) will also be available for free streaming.
