Report: USMNT to play four friendlies to prepare for World Cup

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The U.S. men’s national team plans to play four friendlies in 2026 to gear up for a World Cup on home turf, The Athletic reported Wednesday.

The first two matches, to be held in Atlanta in March, reportedly will pit the USMNT against Belgium and Portugal. Those countries just qualified for the World Cup, meaning they don’t have to compete in next year’s European playoff and are available for the exhibition tune-ups at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

The other matches will follow the naming of the 26-man U.S. roster in late May.

One will be played in an East Coast city — Charlotte, N.C., is the frontrunner — against an opponent that will be determined after the Dec. 5 World Cup draw, which sets the composition of all 12 groups.

Germany will travel to Chicago to participate in the final friendly, according to The Athletic.

The Americans’ pre-tournament training camp begins May 27 at U.S. Soccer’s national training center in the Atlanta area. The team will relocate to Southern California after the friendlies and open the World Cup on June 12 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, a Los Angeles suburb.

Coach Mauricio Pochettino’s side, which is in Group D, plays its ensuing round-robin matches on June 19 at Seattle’s Lumen Field and June 25 at SoFi Stadium.

Canada and Mexico are co-hosting the 48-team tournament, but most games are being staged in 11 American cities, including the July 19 final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

Host nations automatically qualify for the World Cup. The U.S. shellacked Uruguay 5-1 on Tuesday and edged Paraguay 2-1 on Saturday in a pair of recent friendlies, the team’s final matches of 2025.

–Field Level Media