A mix of veterans and newcomers will represent the United States at the World Cup

NPR | By Becky Sullivan

Published May 26, 2026 at 2:34 PM EDT

Players of the United States pose for a team photo on stage during the U.S. Soccer World Cup roster reveal on Tuesday in New York City.

Updated May 26, 2026 at 6:23 PM EDT

NEW YORK — The run-up to this summer's FIFA World Cup kicked into high gear Tuesday with the announcement of the 26 players who will represent the U.S. men's national soccer team.

The 2026 squad includes some of the country's biggest soccer stars, including AC Milan forward Christian Pulisic, Bournemouth midfielder Tyler Adams and Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie.

Players were informed by text and email on Friday, they said. Then, nearly all of them — minus defender Chris Richards, whose club team Crystal Palace is set to play in a European tournament final Wednesday — flew to New York City for a public reveal on a stage in front of hundreds of fans and was televised live on Fox.

"I'm grateful to be in this position. It's exactly what I want," said Pulisic. "You only have a World Cup in your home country once in your life."

The tournament begins in just over two weeks, with games hosted in 16 cities across the U.S., Mexico and Canada. It will mark the first time that World Cup games are being held in the U.S. since 1994, when the tournament helped spark Americans' interest in soccer, leading to the formation of Major League Soccer and widespread participation in youth soccer.

"When you think of the 2026 World Cup, you think of pressure," said Christian Roldan, the Seattle Sounders midfielder who made the roster in 2022 but did not appear in a game. "But the pressure comes with privilege. We have the opportunity to really motivate, inspire the next generation at this World Cup. And I think everybody holds that responsibility to their heart."

U.S. Men's National Team head coach Mauricio Pochettino speaks during a news conference following the announcement of the U.S. World Cup roster in New York on Tuesday.

Perhaps the most surprising inclusion is Alejandro Zendejas, a talented forward for the Mexican team Club América who had earned limited minutes under Pochettino and had not played for the USMNT since last September.

The prominent snubs are Lyon midfielder Tanner Tessmann and Real Salt Lake midfielder Diego Luna, a fan favorite who has appeared in much of the marketing around the USMNT ahead of the World Cup. Both Tessmann and Luna had been dealing with injuries this spring but were thought to be available for the World Cup.

Coach Mauricio Pochettino has experimented with a variety of lineups since he was hired in 2024 to steer the USMNT through this summer. With a home World Cup, hopes are high for the best finish in a generation: The U.S. last reached the quarterfinals in 2002 and has failed to advance past the Round of 16 since then.

"We were working really hard for one year and a half or more to try to arrive in this moment," Pochettino said. "It is impossible to be fair with everyone. But I think we made the best decision to be competitive and to try to win."

Half of the squad represented the U.S. at the World Cup in Qatar four years ago. That includes the only three players who scored a goal in that tournament: forwards Pulisic, Tim Weah and Haji Wright, who came off the bench and made the only score of the USMNT's 3-1 loss to the Netherlands in the knockout round.

Fans cheer during the United States World Cup roster reveal on Tuesday in New York City.

Meanwhile, 13 players will represent the U.S. in the World Cup for the first time, including the PSV Eindhoven forward Ricardo Pepi, who was widely regarded the biggest snub in 2022.

The El Paso native — one of two Mexican-Americans on the roster — was home in Texas running errands with his father on Friday when he received the message that he'd made the team. "My first reaction was just a lot of chills going through my body. I couldn't really believe it. Then I showed my father and he had the same reaction," Pepi said.

"Every single stage of my career so far has helped me," he added — even the snub in 2022. "Everything builds up that fire inside you and prepares you for moments like this."

Other notable debuts include defenders Richards and Miles Robinson, both of whom missed out in 2022 due to injury.

Full USMNT World Cup roster:

Goalkeepers (3): Chris Brady (Chicago Fire, 0 caps/0 goals), Matt Freese (New York City, 14/0), Matt Turner (New England Revolution, 53/0)

Defenders (10): Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew, 18/1), Sergiño Dest (PSV, 37/2), Alex Freeman (Villarreal, 15/2), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse, 27/0), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC, 80/1), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace, 36/3), Antonee Robinson (Fulham, 52/4), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati, 38/3), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach, 24/0), Auston Trusty (Celtic, 6/0)

Midfielders (4): Tyler Adams (AFC Bournemouth, 52/2), Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps, 11/1), Weston McKennie (Juventus, 64/12), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders, 45/0)

Attacking midfielders/wingers (6): Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United, 57/9), Christian Pulisic (Milan, 84/32), Gio Reyna (Borussia Mönchengladbach, 36/9), Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen, 28/3), Tim Weah (Marseille, 49/7), Alejandro Zendejas (Club América, 13/2)

Strikers (3): Folarin Balogun (AS Monaco, 25/8), Ricardo Pepi (PSV, 35/13), Haji Wright (Coventry City, 20/7)