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The U.S. men’s national team roster for the 2026 FIFA World Cup was officially unveiled at Pier 17 in Manhattan on Tuesday afternoon, and the 26 men representing the Stars and Stripes are set to appear on home soil next month.
However, there were some key absences from the list, which created quite a buzz online after it was leaked over the Memorial Day weekend.
For many, two key talking points for Mauricio Pochettino’s first World Cup roster were in midfield, as Diego Luna and Tanner Tessman were not among the 26 men on stage at Pier 17.
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The US men’s national team poses during the announcement of the 2026 World Cup 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 take part in the World Cup. Many believed the 24-year-old, who had played in the past six Team USA games under Pochettino, had a strong chance of making the squad 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 list.
Even more surprising was Luna, the Real Salt Lake star who has shown prowess in terms of scoring on the international stage while giving a tough grade about his game that the World Cup demands. In fact, Luna was considered a virtual lock considering Nike used him during promotional ads for the World Cup, even though US Soccer never signed off on who they wanted to use.
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Luna is a fan favorite, but Pochettino went with other attacking midfielders in the end.
Others who were among those who were considered a possibility to make the team but did not include midfielder Yunus Musah, who played at the 2022 World Cup for the United States, as did forward Josh Sargent. Aidan Morris and 19-year-old Zavier Gozo were also left out.
Christian Pulisic poses with his jersey during the unveiling of the USA World Cup 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 on home soil for the first time since 1994, and the first time in history that FIFA will have matches played in three different countries. Canada and Mexico will also host matches as all of North America welcomes the top 48 teams in the world under a new format that includes an additional knockout round.
Finally, it’s worth noting that roster changes can be made before June 1st, meaning they still have a chance to be changed before the first game against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California on June 12th.
Here’s who will play for the USMNT in the 2026 FIFA World Cup:
GOAL
- #1: Matt Turner, New England Revolution (2nd World Championship)
- #24: Matt Freese, New York City FC (1st)
- #25: Chris Brady, Chicago Fire (1st)
KNITTER
- #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 Roldan, Seattle Sounders (2nd)
ATTACKING MIDFIELDERS/WINGERS
- #7 Gio Reyna, Borussia Mönchengladbach (1.)
- #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 América (1st)
Mauricio Pochettino, head coach of the U.S. men’s soccer team, poses with Fox Sports pundits during the unveiling of the U.S. World Cup roster 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 Crew (1st)
- #22 Mark McKenzie, Toulouse (1st)
- #23 Joe Scally, Borussia Monchengladbach (2nd)
This group takes on Paraguay on June 12, followed by games against Australia (June 19 in Seattle) and Turkiye (June 25 in Los Angeles) for their Group D games.
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