26 for 2026: USMNT World Cup roster projection after October friendlies

Ever since his very first day as U.S. men’s national team head coach, Mauricio Pochettino has assured American players that his USMNT’s door is “open.” Nobody, not even Christian Pulisic, has a guaranteed place in the team, Pochettino has said. He reiterated that message this month, and argued that it has gotten through to his players.

“Now, I promise you, no one is sure that [they are] going to be on the roster in the World Cup 2026,” Pochettino said last week.

And so, he would probably dispute the very premise of a World Cup roster projection. He would certainly push back on the idea that any individual player is a “lock.”

But, over the past two weeks, his World Cup squad has started to come into focus. He called many of his best available players into an October training camp, for last week’s 1-1 draw with Ecuador and Tuesday’s 2-1 win over Australia.

Coming out of that camp, the following is a position-by-position breakdown of what the 2026 World Cup roster could look like, and our best guess for what it will look like.

As always, “lock” status assumes sufficient health. And the depth chart will surely change over the coming months, depending on club form, injuries and performance in November friendlies against Paraguay and Uruguay.

Players not mentioned below could also play their way into the picture. But for now, here is a look at things with roughly seven months to go until the World Cup squad is picked.

Goalkeepers

Locks: (None)

Confident: Matt Freese, Matt Turner

In consideration: Chris Brady, Roman Celentano, Diego Kochen, Patrick Schulte, Zack Steffen, Jonathan Klinsmann

TENORIO: It looks more and more like Freese, the NYCFC goalkeeper who got his first caps this summer, could be the starter for the U.S. at the World Cup. But this position, a historic area of strength for Americans, might be the most unstable in the whole squad. It’s a wide-open competition. Pochettino even name-dropped Kochen, the 19-year-old FC Barcelona B keeper, during Tuesday night’s press conference. Every American goalkeeper should feel they have a chance.

BUSHNELL: I think Turner and especially Freese are closer to locks than we realize. Even if they’re not starting, Freese is the penalty specialist, and Turner is the only goalkeeper in the pool with World Cup experience. Surely they’ll be in the squad, whether as the No. 1, 2 or 3. But I agree, in general, that the position is as open as any right now.

Center backs

Locks: Chris Richards, Tim Ream

Confident: (None)

In consideration: Cameron Carter-Vickers, Mark McKenzie, Miles Robinson, Walker Zimmerman

TENORIO: Ream and Richards have been constants for this U.S. team, but Pochettino seems unsettled on what he’ll do behind them — an issue that has become a bit more interesting considering the move toward a formation built around three center backs. Robinson has always felt like the most likely to emerge, and he got starts in October to back that up. Don’t sleep on Zimmerman as a player who the staff brings to do what he did against Iran in 2022 and at the Gold Cup this summer: Come in late to games where the U.S. is protecting a lead and win every header.

BUSHNELL: One interesting question here is whether Pochettino will take four or five center backs. Given the varied skill sets of the four “in consideration,” and the recent use of systems with three at the back, he’ll presumably lean toward five.

Fullbacks/wingbacks

Locks: Sergiño Dest, Antonee Robinson

Confident: (None)

In consideration: Max Arfsten, Alex Freeman, Joe Scally

TENORIO: Robinson was once considered one of the most irreplaceable players on the U.S. squad because of the distance between him and the next man on the depth chart. There is real concern around a knee injury that kept him out of the Gold Cup this summer and also out of the friendlies in October. Dest, too, has not featured much under Pochettino due to injury.

If healthy, those two players are going to be at the World Cup, but there is a lot more intrigue now behind them. Tim Weah played as a wingback on both the left and right side in October, so he should be considered a part of this equation. Arfsten and Freeman won Pochettino’s trust during the Gold Cup. Scally very much looks the odd man out despite his flexibility to play as both a right-sided center back and a right back.

BUSHNELL: Based on soccer alone, Scally belongs in the 26. He’s already started over 100 games at a level that Freeman and Arfsten have never really touched. As promising as Freeman is, he looked a bit out of his depth in the Gold Cup final; I think it’s sometimes easy (for us, and maybe even for coaches) to forget that the games these players could be thrown into next June are a world apart from what they experience weekly in MLS.

But Scally is clearly out of favor with the national team right now, and it’s unclear if or when he’ll get an opportunity to earn his way back in.

Central midfielders

Locks: Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie

Confident: Tanner Tessmann

In consideration: Sebastian Berhalter, Johnny Cardoso, Aidan Morris, Yunus Musah, Cristian Roldan

TENORIO: Adams and McKennie have been two of the program’s most important players over the past six years, and we expect that to continue next year into the World Cup. The battle behind them has been interesting. Tessmann had a bumpy March window, but has performed well at Lyon and proved his worth in October. Roldan was a late addition in September, but Pochettino has done nothing but praise the Seattle Sounders veteran since he got back into the picture.

What will Pochettino look for in the depth chart at this position? If Musah plays consistently at Atalanta, his upside and versatility outranks others in the pool. But Pochettino left him out completely this fall after Musah skipped the Gold Cup this summer. The door is definitely open for someone like Morris or Berhalter.

BUSHNELL: The wild card is Johnny. To many in the U.S., he’s such an enigma. On paper, a 24-year-old who just went to Atlético Madrid for around $35 million, and almost immediately went into the Atleti starting lineup, should be a lock. But whenever he’s played for the national team, he’s been somewhere between underwhelming and calamitous. He has also struggled with injuries. He’s currently working his way back from an ankle ailment. Unless he makes an impression in November or March, it’s tough to see him getting into the World Cup squad — in part because Tessmann has seemingly rendered him unnecessary.

Attacking midfielders/wingers

Locks: Christian Pulisic, Malik Tillman, Tim Weah

Confident: Diego Luna

In consideration: Brenden Aaronson, Luca de la Torre, Jack McGlynn, Gio Reyna, Alejandro Zendejas

TENORIO: This is maybe the hardest part of the depth chart to predict beyond the three locks. Pochettino loves what Luna brings to the team in terms of his fight, but at the World Cup he’ll need quality that can change games. Are there clear answers behind this trio and McKennie? While goalkeeper and center back may be higher-profile position battles, the spots on the bench at this position could end up having a bigger impact — and I don’t feel confident at all in predicting what exactly Pochettino is thinking behind the big names.

BUSHNELL: I feel confident predicting that De la Torre and McGlynn won’t be in the 26. But between Luna, Aaronson and Zendejas, it’s tricky — and will probably depend on how Pochettino views them as situational players. For example, Aaronson can be useful as a defensive winger when leading late in a game.

Reyna, meanwhile, is a complete wild card. He’ll need to get multiple months of consistent minutes, and performances, at Borussia Mönchengladbach to have any hope.

Strikers

Locks: Folarin Balogun

Confident: (None)

In consideration: Patrick Agyemang, Ricardo Pepi, Josh Sargent, Brian White, Haji Wright

BUSHNELL: Balogun needed only two full games under Pochettino to establish himself as the seemingly unquestioned starter. Then, on Tuesday night, Wright needed only one full game to pose a new question: Might the USMNT suddenly have two decent options up top?

There could even be three if and when Pepi returns to form and full fitness.

At the moment, those are almost certainly Pochettino’s top three. Sargent underwhelmed in March and September and hasn’t scored for the national team in six years. Agyemang is physically useful but technically raw. Others don’t meet the international standard.

If Pochettino opts to take four strikers to the World Cup — something the expansion of rosters to 26 allows for — Agyemang might actually be a better bet for the fourth spot than Sargent, even if Sargent outscores him by a wide margin in the English Championship. For all his limitations, he offers a physical presence that no other striker in the U.S. pool does.

TENORIO: It’s definitely been frustrating that Sargent hasn’t been able to translate his club form over to country, but Balogun’s strong play and Wright’s goals in October at least provide a dose of confidence around this position. We haven’t seen Pepi since November 2024. He’s going to have to get back into form and eventually get back into a U.S. camp in order to secure a spot at the World Cup.

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Our 26-man World Cup roster projection (as of Oct. 2025)

GOALKEEPERS (3): Matt Freese, Patrick Schulte, Matt Turner

CENTER BACKS (5): Tim Ream, Chris Richards, Mark McKenzie, Miles Robinson, Walker Zimmerman

FULLBACKS/WINGBACKS (4): Max Arfsten, Sergiño Dest, Alex Freeman, Antonee Robinson

CENTRAL MIDFIELDERS (5): Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie, Yunus Musah, Cristian Roldan, Tanner Tessmann

ATTACKING MIDFIELDERS/WINGERS (5): Brenden Aaronson, Diego Luna, Christian Pulisic, Malik Tillman, Tim Weah

STRIKERS (4): Patrick Agyemang, Folarin Balogun, Ricardo Pepi, Haji Wright