Pochettino names his 26. The USMNT is locked.
On Tuesday, May 26, 2026, Mauricio Pochettino stood at Pier 17 in New York City's South Street Seaport and read out the 26 names that will carry the United States into the World Cup on home soil. The announcement, broadcast live on FOX from 3–4 PM ET, confirmed what had been widely reported — and settled the debates about who didn't make it.
Gio Reyna is in. Diego Luna is out. Alejandro Zendejas, the Club América forward who switched from Mexico to the USMNT in March 2023, made the cut. Tanner Tessmann of Lyon and Aidan Morris of Middlesbrough did not. The 26-man squad skews young — an average age of 26 years and 332 days, the fifth youngest U.S. World Cup squad on record — and splits almost exactly in half between veterans (13 players were at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar) and newcomers (13 players making their first World Cup appearance), per U.S. Soccer's official release.
The full USMNT World Cup 2026 roster
Goalkeepers: Chris Brady (Chicago Fire), Matt Freese (New York City FC), Matt Turner (New England Revolution)
Defenders: Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew), Sergiño Dest (PSV Eindhoven), Alex Freeman (Villarreal), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Auston Trusty (Celtic)
Midfielders: Tyler Adams (Bournemouth), Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Gio Reyna (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders), Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen)
Forwards: Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United), Folarin Balogun (Monaco), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan), Tim Weah (Olympique Marseille), Haji Wright (Coventry City), Alejandro Zendejas (Club América)
The names that generated the most debate
Gio Reyna's inclusion was the one fans had been watching most closely. Injuries have shadowed Reyna since the 2022 World Cup, but Pochettino backed him. Reyna, 22, plays for Borussia Mönchengladbach alongside fellow squad member Joe Scally — two Bundesliga teammates heading to the same World Cup on the same team.
Sebastian Berhalter made the roster, and his last name is still doing a lot of work. Berhalter is the son of Gregg Berhalter, the former USMNT head coach fired after the 2024 Copa América disappointment. He plays for Vancouver Whitecaps. He and his father become only the second father-son pair to represent the USA at different World Cups, after Claudio Reyna and Gio Reyna. FOX analyst Stu Holden argued the criticism of Berhalter's inclusion reflects a broader scepticism toward MLS players rather than Sebastian Berhalter's actual performances.
The most discussed omission was Diego Luna, 22, of Real Salt Lake. Luna had scored 4 goals and recorded 3 assists in 608 MLS minutes since returning from injury, per Yahoo Sports, and had been a regular in recent call-ups. Tanner Tessmann, a Lyon midfielder who featured in the last six USMNT games before the announcement, was also left off. Both learned of their omission via email — a decision Pochettino defended publicly at the reveal event.
Pochettino addressed the criticism directly. Per CBS Sports, he said: "I know it is painful. It was painful for me, but it is my job. We want players that will be together and dictate the way we want to play. We care about the human beings." On his overall approach: "It is impossible to be fair with everyone. But I think we made the best decision to be competitive and to try to win."
The rest of the week — base camps and Iran's move
Tuesday's USMNT announcement was the headline of the May 24–30 window, but there was other news. The USMNT has selected Great Park in Irvine, California as its official WC2026 training base, per ESPN. The squad is scheduled to arrive in Irvine after a June 6 friendly against Germany — which falls just outside this week's window.
The other significant logistics story came from Iran. Mehdi Taj, president of the Iran Football Federation, announced on Saturday, May 23, that Iran's base camp has been moved from Tucson, Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico, following FIFA approval. The decision came after diplomatic discussions at a meeting in Istanbul and a webinar with the FIFA secretary general in Tehran, per ESPN and Goal.com — an unusual back-channel negotiation tied to geopolitical uncertainty surrounding the Middle East conflict. Tijuana sits just south of San Diego, keeping Iran close to the southern California cluster of WC venues.
FIFA also published the full base camp map for WC2026 during this week. Of 48 teams, 39 chose US training facilities, 7 selected Mexico, and 2 picked Canada, according to beIN Sports.
Where things stand on squad announcements
As of May 27, a significant portion of the 48-team field has already locked its 26-man roster. The FIFA deadline for squad submission is June 1, with official confirmation on June 2. Germany announced on May 21 (Florian Wirtz, Jamal Musiala, Joshua Kimmich, Manuel Neuer all in). Brazil's final 26 landed May 18. Morocco confirmed their squad on May 26, led by PSG's Achraf Hakimi and Real Madrid's Brahim Díaz. The USA is now official. England is among the major squads still to be announced.
FAQ
Who is on the USMNT World Cup 2026 roster? Mauricio Pochettino named 26 players on May 26, 2026 in New York City. The squad includes Christian Pulisic (AC Milan), Tyler Adams (Bournemouth), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Gio Reyna (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Folarin Balogun (Monaco), and Alejandro Zendejas (Club América), among others. The full roster is listed above with all clubs.
Who was left off the USMNT World Cup 2026 squad? The most notable omissions from Pochettino's final 26 are Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake), Tanner Tessmann (Lyon), and Aidan Morris (Middlesbrough) — all players who had featured in recent USMNT call-ups. Pochettino notified players of their exclusion by email, a policy he defended publicly at the New York event.
When does the USMNT play their first World Cup 2026 match? The United States opens WC2026 group play on June 12, 2026, against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. The tournament runs from June 11 to July 19, co-hosted across the USA, Canada, and Mexico.