The 2026 World Cup is less than 18 months away. With the tournament being co-hosted by the United States, expectations for the program are considerable. They’ve been ramped up even further with the hiring of Mauricio Pochettino to be the team’s manager. When further analyzing the situation, we must look at the ‘expectations’ part.
Essentially, what should the expectations be?
This tournament will feature 48 teams for the first time in its history. The host nation(s) normally get favorable draws in the group stage. From there, it’s anyone’s guess as to how they were fare.
The expectations built in with this team coincide with the perceived notion that the U.S. is in the midst of a golden generation. That remains to be seen, largely because the group has not yet won anything of consequence. Here’s where Pochettino’s value comes into play. He’s the most decorated manager the United States has ever had. He doesn’t have built-in allegiances to any players, and as such should operate freshly when seeking to build the player pool into a cohesive, unified entity.
The talent on this team is good enough to be competitive. It’s more than good enough. The vast majority of the core plays in big leagues all over the world. In 2026, Christian Pulisic will be heading into his prime as a player. As currently constituted, you’ve got a handful of players plying their trades in the EPL, La Liga, the Bundesliga, and Serie A. Save for Tim Ream, no one appears on the cusp of aging out of contention.
There’s also ample time for younger players to emerge. A host of American prospects currently are situated at Borussia Dortmund — a club known for player development. Others in the American youth set-up play for the likes of Barcelona, Liverpool, Lyon, Bayern Munich, and elsewhere.
If we REALLY have to narrow it down to an expected finish for the 2026 World Cup, the expectation should be this team at the very worst featuring in the Quarterfinals. Anything short of that would be a real disappointment. If that fate does come to fruition, some major introspection should take place to better take advantage of the resources present.
