USA squad for 2026 World Cup: Projecting potential USMNT roster for next FIFA tournament on home soil

The United States reached the Round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup with the second-youngest roster in the entire field.

After falling short against the Netherlands in the knockout stage, suffering a 3-1 defeat to the No. 8 team in the world, the United States will now refocus its sights towards the next tournament.

In 2026, the United States will host the FIFA World Cup alongside fellow North American nations Mexico and Canada, and all eyes will be on how the U.S. performs on home soil. While the 2022 tournament was important in its own right, the 2026 World Cup is thought to be the real prize.

With that in mind, knowing four years is a very, very long time, here’s how the current player pool projects out to that tournament, with a potential 26-man squad and starting lineup four years from now.

The theme of “youngest ever” for the #USMNT continues at this World Cup.

Today: the youngest USMNT lineup ever in a knockout game. pic.twitter.com/r8fuyFTvFY

— Paul Tenorio (@PaulTenorio) December 3, 2022

MORE: Defensive mistakes, lack of finishing cost the USA in loss to Netherlands

Predicted USA roster for 2026 World Cup

The 2026 World Cup is four long years away, and so much can happen between now and then. Here’s how we see the USA roster breaking down with the way the player pool shakes out currently.

The predicted roster was created under the assumption of 26 places available for 2026 World Cup squads. Age and caps current as of Dec. 3, 2022 when U.S. was eliminated from 2022 World Cup.

* Started at least one match at the 2022 World Cup.

Possible USA starting lineup for 2026 World Cup

Many of the 2022 World Cup starters project to be heavily involved four years from now.

The entire midfield returns, as the “MMA” trio of Weston McKennie, Yunus Musah and Tyler Adams are all built to last, and young enough to be entering their primes around that time.

At the back, there are two changes at center-back as Cameron Carter-Vickers, who has revived his game and proven quality both at Celtic and against Iran at the World Cup, projects as a starter alongside Miles Robinson, who was thought to be a sure starter for the World Cup until an Achilles injury in May. Chris Richards could also push for that spot, although he needs to show more development at Premier League club Crystal Palace before he can be trusted.

Up front, Gio Reyna should develop into a key starter for the U.S. opposite Christian Pulisic, but if injuries rob him of that chance, Brenden Aaronson and Tim Weah will still very much be around to push for a starting spot. The strikers at the 2022 tournament fell flat, and Ricardo Pepi, currently just 19 years old, seems to be the man for that job if he can continue developing in Europe.

Potential USA starting lineup in 2026 (4-3-3): M. Turner (GK) — A. Robinson, M. Robinson, C. Carter-Vickers, S. Dest — W. McKennie, T. Adams, Y. Musah — C. Pulisic, R. Pepi, G. Reyna.

Breakdown of possible USA roster for 2026 World Cup

Goalkeeper

At goalkeeper, the future is now with Matt Turner. Also enter young Gabriel Slonina, as the 18-year-old known as “Gaga” just secured a move to Chelsea and is thought to be one who could push for time despite his young age.

That leaves Ethan Horvath and Zack Steffen to battle for the third spot, and while Horvath has done well for himself in the last year or two, it’s hard to imagine a player like Steffen being down for long. He was left off the 2022 roster due to an injury followed by poor club form, but he has 29 caps and is still very much in the conversation.

Defense

The defense will require the biggest shift for 2026, as 35-year-old Tim Ream surely will not be around. Walker Zimmerman, at age 29 today, surely could make an impact and be a possibility for the roster, but after a sensational qualifying showing from the MLS defender, he was shaky at the World Cup.

It seems more likely that the young center-back prospects could snatch Zimmerman’s spot, with Chris Richards, Erik Palmer-Brown, or James Sands entering the fray with more experience. Don’t forget Miles Robinson, who missed the 2022 tournament due to injury but was a projected starter and is still just 25 years old.

At full-back, both Antonee Robinson and Sergino Dest are part of the young core of this team and project to keep their starting jobs, although Joe Scally could push for Dest for his job if he continues to develop in Germany. Reggie Cannon should keep his spot, although the U.S. will want to find cover for Jedi on the left. Berhalter took five full-backs to Qatar this year, and that seemed one too many, so one was sacrificed (DeAndre Yedlin and Shaq Moore come off) for an extra center-back in Sands who has positional flexibility and can play out wide in a pinch. Sam Vines could also be a possibility with left-back a position lacking depth.

Midfield

The United States did not have enough midfield depth at the World Cup, and it showed. Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie, and Yunus Musah were too heavily relied on, and had no gas by the time the Round of 16 match against the Netherlands came around. So for 2026, we’re reconfiguring the roster a bit. We’ve added an extra midfielder in Djordje Mihailovic at the expense of a forward, and also brought James Sands who can play in midfield if required.

Cristian Roldan is sacrificed for young Paxten Aaronson who should have broken into the national team by then and could be an electric option off the bench. Malik Tillman is another young player who just missed out in 2022 but has already committed to the U.S. and should be in the mix, while Paxton Pomykal will overtake Luca de la Torre‘s spot on the roster unless the latter can improve his club situation over the years. Johnny Cardoso and Jackson Yueill will remain in the conversation as well.

Forward

The biggest deficit for the United States at the 2022 World Cup was up front at the striker position, clearly lacking a goalscoring threat through the middle. In steps Ricardo Pepi who just missed out in 2022 and is still just 19 years old, developing his game in the Netherlands. 

Jesus Ferreira was poor in his start against the Netherlands, but still projects as one for the future at just 21. Josh Sargent remains the likely third choice for striker, and will certainly be under consideration if he continues to push for playing time in Europe. Haji Wright should also be considered if he can keep scoring goals in the Turkish league or elsewhere in Europe, while Jordan Pefok will likely remain in the mix, but needs to develop consistency to remain a reliable option in four years. Don’t forget about 22-year-old Sebastian Soto, who has committed to the United States and had a cup of coffee in World Cup qualifying, although he’s buried on the Austria Klagenfurt depth chart at the moment.

Out wide, there’s no debating the places of the wingers in the current team, with Christian Pulisic leading the way and Gio Reyna, Brenden Aaronson, and Tim Weah all proving useful. One wide player to keep an eye on is Konrad de la Fuente who has fallen off a cliff in the last two years after leaving Barcelona in 2021, but is still just 21 years old and could push back into the mix with a revival in Europe.

Young players who could break into USMNT in 2026

While the above squad features mostly players who have in some way established themselves as players deserving of selection in the U.S. player pool, there are sure to be surprises in the long, four-year slog between now and the next World Cup. Here’s some players who have not yet made their presence known on an international stage but have every possibility of doing so soon.

Caden Clark (RB Leipzig)

By far the most well-known player on this list of youngsters, 19-year-old Clark was a regular for the New York Red Bulls for two years before moving to RB Leipzig in Germany. While his electric performances from 2021 took a slight dip in 2022, he’s still considered a top young midfielder playing domestically.

He’s a do-it-all central midfield player who can play in McKennie’s or Musah’s position to help with progression, ball carrying, and possessional distribution, and will snatch a few goal contributions as well on occasion. He was already invited to USMNT camp back in December 2021, and was an unused substitute in the 1-0 win over Bosnia & Herzegovina, so expect to see him get more looks over the next four years.

Malick Sanogo (Union Berlin)

Just 18 years old, the New York City-born striker plays for his father, former Ivory Coast international Boubacar Sanogo, on Union Berlin’s youth team. He’s a rising star, if his youth team numbers are any indication, having scored an astonishing 11 goals in 10 Under-19 games for his German club this season. That’s nothing new, as he led all players in his age group in goals and assists through German’s youth league two years ago.

Sanogo has played for the U.S. youth setup, appearing in three friendlies in 2021, but he is also eligible for Germany and the Ivory Coast. If the U.S. can convince him to commit, Sanogo could be an electric young solution to their striker issues. He’ll be considered an extremely high priority dual-national for the U.S. national team, and one the coaching staff will be sure to woo.

Taylor Booth (FC Utrecht)

While Tyler Adams has developed into maybe the most important player in the U.S. lineup, he needs cover. Enter 21-year-old Taylor Booth who hails from Utah and spent significant time in the Bayern Munich youth system before moving to Dutch side Utrecht in the summer of 2022.

He has two goals and two assists from the defensive midfield position this season in the Eredivisie, all coming in a two-week span just before the 2022 World Cup break. He is a true box-to-box midfielder and can play in Adams’s role or slide forward to play in the McKennie spot. He is sure to get a look sooner rather than later.

Taylor also has an 18-year-old brother Zach Booth who plays for the Leicester City academy who could also get a look if things pan out.

Italo Jenkins (Atlanta United)

At just 17 years old, Italo Jenkins still has a long way to go before becoming a true option for the national team, but as 2026 draws closer, and the U.S. continues to lack a true striker, he could be given a chance out of necessity.

A big, physically imposing striker, Jenkins plays in the youth system for his hometown club Atlanta United and has proven a true goalscoring machine at all youth levels he’s tackled. He could be a young option to watch moving forward, with both Ferreira and Pepi previously breaking into the setup as teenagers.

Touch and hit! 🚀

Italo Jenkins scores his 1st goal for the @USYNT U-15s vs. Poland! 🇺🇸⚽️ pic.twitter.com/1nGtzBNmZW

— ATLUTD Academy (@AcademyATLUTD) October 23, 2019

Jack McGlynn (Philadelphia Union)

Union fans will know McGlynn well, but for those not as familiar, the 19-year-old midfielder has become a critical piece of one of the best MLS teams already. He played over 1,000 minutes last season, including a start in the MLS Cup final, scoring a goal and assisting three more. He’s an exceptional set-piece taker, given that duty for the U.S. U-19 team, and has scored three goals in 14 appearances for the side.

With midfield depth lacking behind the “MMA” trio, it wouldn’t be surprising in the slightest to see McGlynn brought into the setup and given a chance to shine.

Kobe Hernandez-Foster (Hamarkameratene)

Once considered a massive left-back youth prospect within the USYNT setup, Hernandez-Foster moved from LA Galaxy to Wolfsburg in the summer of 2020 with the world at his feet, but it’s all come apart since then. Now 20 years old, Hernandez-Foster left Wolfsburg this past winter, falling all the way to Norwegian Eliteserien club Hamarkameratene.

There, the youngster has become a full starter, and if he can work hard to leap back into the conversation, he could end up with a look with the senior team this cycle. The U.S. is notoriously thin at left-back, with basically nobody behind Antonee ‘Jedi’ Robinson on the depth chart, and necessity could see the U.S. team give him a chance — if he earns it.