United States

The 2026 World Cup is the first on U.S. soil since 1994, when the USMNT famously advanced to the round of 16 at the Rose Bowl — 32 years later, they host again with much higher expectations.

Half the 26-man squad (13 players) were also in Qatar 2022, tying the USA's record for most returnees between consecutive World Cups, first set from 1994 to 1998.

Christian Pulisic became the only American to win the UEFA Champions League (Chelsea 2021), UEFA Super Cup, and FIFA Club World Cup.

Alejandro Zendejas was born in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico and raised in El Paso, Texas; he plays club football for Club América in Mexico City and chose the USMNT over Mexico after representing Mexico at youth level.

The USMNT opens the tournament against Paraguay on June 12 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles — the same metro area where Pasadena's Rose Bowl staged the 1994 final; Group D also features Australia and Turkey.

The USA's 1-0 win over England in 1950 was so unbelievable that legend says some English papers printed the score as 10-1, assuming a typo — the goal came from Joe Gaetjens, a Haitian student washing dishes in New York.

The USA's best-ever World Cup finish is still the semi-final at the very first tournament in 1930 — where French journalists nicknamed their burly squad 'the shot-putters'.