USMNT schedule 2026: USA men’s soccer games, dates, times, live stream and TV channel including home World Cup

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As the calendar turns to 2026, the United States men’s national soccer team will embark on one of the most significant 12-month period of its entire history.

Set to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup in June and July, the USMNT are hoping to put their best foot forward with the opportunity to captivate the nation and generate unprecedented levels of excitement around the sport of soccer, reaching potential heights this nation has never experienced before.

Success at the World Cup, in the form of a potential run to the quarterfinals or beyond, would position the U.S. to build on that electricity and buzz over the next decade or more. In contrast, disappointment at this summer’s tournament could codify the sport’s inferior comparative level, squandering a once-in-a-lifetime chance to generate course-altering levels of attention.

While 2026 will be defined by the World Cup, the soccer slate across the calendar year extends across much more than just those two months.

The Sporting News brings you a look at how the USMNT schedule will shape up across 2026 and what is in store for this era-defining year of football across America.

MORE: Predicting the USMNT starting lineup and squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup

USMNT schedule 2026: USA men’s soccer games

Then, the 2026 World Cup will commence, with the U.S. playing its first game on Friday, June 12. Their group-stage opponents will be determined at the World Cup draw held on December 5.

After the World Cup is complete, it’s not known what will fill out the rest of the 2026 schedule. It’s believed that the 2025/26 CONCACAF Nations League will begin at some point during the fall, but when is not terribly clear at this stage. There is no precedent for the current post-World Cup calendar in the Nations League era, as the only other time the Nations League was scheduled around a World Cup was in 2022 when the FIFA tournament was contested in December.

MORE: A look back at the 2025 fixtures and results as the USMNT built towards the 2026 World Cup

* If U.S. qualifies
** Takes place outside official FIFA international window, meaning clubs are not required to release players for international duty
*** Not yet official, only heavily reported

USMNT schedule at 2026 FIFA World Cup

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USMNT in the group stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup

The group-stage slate for the USMNT is already set in part, as all hosts are pre-drawn into specific pools. All that remains is to determine their opponents.

The United States were drawn into Group D, with the group’s other three teams to be decided at the World Cup draw in early December.

To qualify automatically for the knockout stage, teams must finish top two in their group standings. The eight best-performing third-place teams will also qualify for the Round of 32 based on their group-stage results.

USMNT group stage fixtures

Group D standings

USMNT in the knockout stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup

While the group-stage slate for the USMNT was already solidified well in advance of the tournament, their potential knockout pathway remains up in the air until they secure mathematical qualification.

Should the U.S. qualify for the Round of 32, either by placing top two in their group or being one of the eight third-place qualifiers, they have five potential places they could end up in.

Here are all five possible locations the U.S. could wind up slotting into, as well as their path to the final from each one.

Path for USA in World Cup knockout — 1st place in Group D

Path for USA in World Cup knockout — 2nd place in Group D

Path for USA in World Cup knockout — 3rd place qualifier

As a member of Group D, the United States have three potential places in the knockout stage bracket they could be sorted into should they qualify as one of the eight third-place qualifiers.

Until all qualifiers are known, it is impossible to predict where or when they could potentially play should this come to pass. There are 495 mathematical combinations of third place qualifiers, with 330 of them involving a participant from Group D. All of these have been spelled out in advance, and every potential outcome can be found in Annex C (pg. 80) of the 2026 FIFA World Cup regulations.

Potential path 1 — Face Winner of Group E

There are 202 total combinations of third-place qualifiers that would see the U.S. play the winner from Group E, which is by far the most likely result.

Potential path 2 — Face Winner of Group I

There are 111 possible combinations of third-place qualifiers that would see the USMNT face the winner of Group I in the Round of 32.

Potential path 3 — Face Winner of Group K

This is by far the least likely scenario for if the U.S. were to qualify as a third place finisher, with only 17 of the possible 495 combinations of third-place qualifiers resulting in this placement.

* If USA qualifies via 1st place in Group D
** If USA qualifies via 2nd place in Group D

2026/27 CONCACAF Nations League

Annual January camp moved to December for 2026 and beyond