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The United States men’s national team roster for the 2026 FIFA World Cup was officially revealed at Pier 17 in Manhattan on Tuesday afternoon, and the 26 men representing the Stars and Stripes will report at home next month.
However, there were some key absences from the roster, causing quite a stir online after it was leaked over Memorial Day weekend.
For many, two key snubs for Mauricio Pochettino’s first World Cup squad were in midfield, with Diego Luna and Tanner Tessman not among the 26 men on stage at Pier 17.
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The US men’s national team poses during the 2026 World Cup roster announcement in New York on May 26, 2026. (Timothy A. Clary/AFP)
Tessman suffered a muscle strain earlier this month while playing for Lyon, his club in France, although it was not expected to affect his ability to participate in the World Cup. Many believed the 24-year-old, who had played in Team USA’s last six games under Pochettino, had a strong chance of making the team as a defensive midfielder.
Instead, only Tyler Adams, who captained the USMNT in 2022 during the Qatar World Cup, is among the defensive midfielders on the roster.
Even more surprising, however, was Luna, the Real Salt Lake star who has shown greatness in terms of goals on the international stage, while also offering the tough nature to his game that the World Cup demands. In fact, Luna was seen as a virtual lock considering Nike used him during World Cup promotional ads, although US Soccer never signed who they would use.
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Luna is a fan favorite, but Pochettino ultimately opted for other attacking midfielders.
Others who were among those considered likely to make the team but did not include midfielder Yunus Musah, who played in the 2022 World Cup with the United States, as well as forward Josh Sargent. Aidan Morris and Zavier Gozo, 19, were also left out.
Christian Pulisic poses with his jersey during the presentation of the United States World Cup squad in New York City on May 26, 2026. (Adam Hunger/Getty Images)
But Pochettino was looking for the right 26 players, rather than the best, to represent the United States at home for the first time since 1994, and the first time in history that FIFA will play matches in three different countries. Canada and Mexico will also host matches, as all of North America welcomes the world’s top 48 teams under a new format that includes an extra knockout round.
Finally, it’s worth noting that roster substitutions can be made before June 1, meaning they still have a chance of being changed before the first game against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, on June 12.
Here’s who will play for the USMNT at the 2026 FIFA World Cup:
GOALS
- #1: Matt Turner, New England Revolution (second World Cup)
- #24: Matt Freese, New York City FC (1st)
- #25: Chris Brady, Chicago Fire (1st)
STRIKERS
- #9 Ricardo Pepi, PSV (1st)
- #19 Haji Wright, Coventry City (2nd)
- #20 Folarin Balogun, AS Monaco (1st)
USMNT forward Haji Wright poses with his jersey during the USMNT 2026 World Cup roster announcement in New York on May 26, 2026. (Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images)
MIDFIELDERS
- #4 Tyler Adams, AFC Bournemouth (2nd)
- #8 Weston McKennie, Juventus (2nd)
- #14 Sebastian Berhalter, Vancouver Whitecaps (1st)
- #15 Cristian Roldán, Seattle Sounders (2nd)
Attacking midfielder/wingers
- #7 Gio Reyna, Borussia Mönchengladbach (1st)
- #10 Christian Pulisic, AC Milan (2nd)
- #11 Brenden Aaronson, Leeds United (2nd)
- #17 Malik Tillman, Bayer Leverkusen (1st)
- #21 Tim Weah, Marseille (2nd)
- #26 Álex Zendejas, Club América (1st)
Mauricio Pochettino, head coach of the United States men’s soccer team, poses with Fox Sports experts during the U.S. World Cup roster reveal in New York City on May 26, 2026. (Ira L. Black/USSF/Getty Images)
DEFENDERS
- #2 Sergiño Dest, PSV (2nd)
- #3 Chris Richards, Crystal Palace (1st)
- #5 Antonee Robinson, Fulham (2nd)
- #6 Auston Trusty, Celtic (1st)
- #12 Miles Robinson, FC Cincinnati (1st)
- #13 Tim Ream, Charlotte FC (2nd)
- #16 Alex Freeman, Villarreal (1st)
- #18 Max Arfsten, Columbus team (1st)
- #22 Mark McKenzie, Toulouse (1st)
- #23 Joe Scally, Borussia Mönchengladbach (2nd)
This group will face Paraguay on June 12, followed by matches against Australia (June 19 in Seattle) and Turkiye (June 25 in Los Angeles) in Group D.
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