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The United States men’s national team roster for the 2026 FIFA World Cup was officially announced Tuesday afternoon at Pier 17 in Manhattan, with all 26 men representing the Stars and Stripes expected to report on home ice next month.
However, there were a few key absences from the roster, which created quite a buzz online after it was leaked over Memorial Day weekend.
For many, two key snubs for Mauricio Pochettino’s first World Cup squad came in midfield, as Diego Luna and Tanner Tessman were not among the 26 men on stage at Pier 17.
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The United States 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 is not expected to affect his ability to participate in the World Cup. Many believed the 24-year-old, who had played in the last six matches for the US team under Pochettino, had a good chance of making the team as a defensive midfielder.
Instead, only Tyler Adams, the USMNT’s 2022 World Cup captain in Qatar, is among the defensive midfielders on the roster.
Even more surprising, Real Salt Lake star Luna has displayed goal-scoring greatness on the international stage, while also providing a toughness to his game that the World Cup demands. In fact, Luna was considered a virtual lock given that Nike had used him during promotional ads for the World Cup, although US Soccer never indicated who it would use.
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Luna is a fan favorite, but Pochettino ultimately opted for other attacking midfielders.
Others considered likely to make the team but didn’t include midfielder Yunus Musah, who played in the 2022 World Cup for the United States, as did forward Josh Sargent. Aidan Morris and Zavier Gozo, 19, were also excluded.
Christian Pulisic poses with his jersey during the United States World Cup team reveal in New York on May 26, 2026. (Adam Faim/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, while all of North America will host the world’s top 48 teams in a new format that includes an additional playoff round.
Finally, it should be noted that roster replacements can be made before June 1, meaning they still have a chance to be changed before the first match 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:
GOALKEEPERS
- #1: Matt Turner, New England Revolution (2nd 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 roster announcement for the 2026 World Cup in New York on May 26, 2026. (Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images)
FIELDS
- #4 Tyler Adams, AFC Bournemouth (2nd)
- #8 Weston McKennie, Juventus (2nd)
- #14 Sebastian Berhalter, Vancouver Whitecaps (1st)
- #15 Cristian Roldan, Seattle Sounders (2nd)
ATTACKING MIDFIELDER/WINGERS
- #7 Gio Reyna, Borussia Monchengladbach (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 Alex Zendejas, Club America (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 on May 26, 2026. (Ira L. Black/USSF/Getty Images)
DEFENDERS
- #2 Sergiño Dest, PSV (2nd)
- #3 Chris Richards, Crystal Palace (1st)
- #5 Antonée 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 Crew (1st)
- #22 Mark McKenzie, Toulouse (1st)
- #23 Joe Scally, Borussia Monchengladbach (2nd)
This group will face Paraguay on June 12, followed by matches against Australia (June 19 in Seattle) and Turkey (June 25 in Los Angeles) for their Group D match.
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