NEW YORK — The names are in. On Tuesday, U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Mauricio Pochettino officially unveiled his 26-man roster for the 2026 FIFA World Cup during a live event at The Rooftop at Pier 17 in New York City, broadcast nationally on FOX. The host nation’s squad is now set, built on returning experience, an explosive attack, and more than a few compelling storylines heading into the biggest soccer tournament ever held on American soil.
The Squad
The 26 players span clubs in 10 different countries and carry a combined 505 caps, the third most of any USMNT World Cup roster in history. Christian Pulisic (84 caps, 32 goals) leads the group and heads a forward line alongside Folarin Balogun, Ricardo Pepi, Tim Weah, Brenden Aaronson, Haji Wright, and Alejandro Zendejas. Weston McKennie (64 caps) and Tyler Adams (52) anchor a six-man midfield that also includes Gio Reyna, Cristian Roldan, Malik Tillman, and Sebastian Berhalter.
In goal, all three keepers (Chris Brady of Chicago Fire, Matt Freese of NYCFC, and Matt Turner of New England Revolution) ply their trade in MLS, the first time since the league’s 1996 inception that the entire USMNT goalkeeper corps at a World Cup is domestic-based. Freese earned a U.S. Soccer Male Player of the Year nomination after backstopping the final 12 matches of 2025. Turner, the veteran, went 7-1-0 in his last eight starts for the Revolution. And Brady, 22, becomes the first uncapped player to make a USMNT World Cup roster since Juergen Sommer in 1994.
The backline is 10 deep: Max Arfsten, Sergino Dest, Alex Freeman, Mark McKenzie, Tim Ream, Chris Richards, Antonee Robinson, Miles Robinson, Joe Scally, and Auston Trusty.
A Lethal Front Line
The numbers up front are staggering. Balogun, Pepi, and Wright combined for 56 club goals across all competitions this season. Balogun scored 19 goals in 43 games for Monaco, including a nine-match scoring streak in the second half of the campaign.
Pepi matched him with 19 goals in just 34 appearances for PSV Eindhoven, despite missing nine matches to injury, and helped the club clinch a third-consecutive Dutch Eredivisie title. Wright put up 18 goals in 43 games for Coventry City, helping push them to first place in the Championship and automatic promotion to the Premier League.
Pulisic, Weah, and Wright are the three players on the roster who have already scored in a World Cup match, a distinction that will matter when the pressure is highest.
The Reyna Question
No selection drew more questions than Gio Reyna. The Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder has had a limited run of form recently, but Pochettino kept faith in the 36-cap, nine-goal veteran. It is a bet on ceiling over recent floor, and the kind of bold call that defines a coach’s tenure. At his best, Reyna is capable of producing moments that change a match. Pochettino is counting on him to produce one or two of those on home soil.
Who Didn’t Make It
Not everyone who deserved a look got one. Lyon midfielder Tanner Tessmann, who had positioned himself as a strong candidate throughout the cycle, was left off. So was Diego Luna, the Real Salt Lake forward who became a fan favorite and looked on the verge of a breakthrough. Both omissions will be debated as the tournament unfolds, especially if the midfield or attack struggles to create in crucial moments.
The Storylines to Watch
Thirteen players return from the 2022 World Cup squad in Qatar, tying a U.S. record for most returnees between consecutive tournaments. Adams, Dest, McKennie, Pulisic, Ream, Antonee Robinson, Turner, and Weah all started all four matches in Qatar. The experience is real, and so is the hunger to go further than a Round of 16 exit.
Then there is the father-son angle: Sebastian Berhalter earns a World Cup spot just as his father Gregg did in 2002 and 2006, making them only the second father-son duo in U.S. World Cup history after Claudio and Gio Reyna. And for Los Angeles, the World Cup comes home in a literal sense: Haji Wright, born in LA, will play at SoFi Stadium in the team’s group stage opener against Paraguay on June 12.
The road to Atlanta starts now. The USMNT heads to the Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center to begin final preparations, with tune-up matches against Senegal on May 31 in Charlotte and Germany on June 6 in Chicago before Group D play begins.
Group D schedule
June 12: USA vs. Paraguay | Los Angeles (SoFi Stadium), 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT
June 19: USA vs. Australia | Seattle (Seattle Stadium), 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT
June 25: USA vs. Turkiye | Los Angeles (SoFi Stadium), 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT
All matches broadcast live on FOX and Telemundo. Note: The roster is not official until submitted to FIFA by the June 1 deadline.