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It’s time to turn the page on the United States men’s national team after concluding their participation at the 2022 World Cup with a 3-1 loss to the Netherlands on Saturday in the round of 16. The team finished with a 1-2-1 record in their first appearance since 2014. They completed their initial goal of advancing from a tricky Group B just behind contenders England, and if you ask Weston McKennie after the match, they accomplished in changing “the way the world sees American soccer.”
But now the bags are packed and they’re flying out of Qatar with their heads held high as they prepare for 2026 when they host the next World Cup alongside Canada and Mexico. So what’s to come? Well, we will now have the shortest wait for a World Cup with the 2026 edition arriving in just three-and-a-half years thanks to the 2022 edition being played in the winter.
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Here’s what to know moving forward for Gregg Berhalter’s team.
Will the U.S. play again in 2022?
The team played all of their matches for the year and won’t return to action until 2023.
Will they have to qualify for the 2026 World Cup?
If we are to go by previous tournaments, the answer is no. Because the U.S. are co-hosting with Canada and Mexico, they should automatically qualify. That means they won’t need to play a World Cup qualifying campaign ahead of that competition but will need to agree to friendly matches against tough opponents in order to continue to test themselves.
USMNT in 2023: Friendlies and Nations League
The 2023 year kicks off quickly with games against Serbia on Jan. 25 and Colombia on Jan. 28. But these are matches without the Europe-based players as Berhalter tends to use only guys on this side of the Atlantic, mainly from Major League Soccer.
Then in March, the senior team is set to face Grenada on March 24 at home and El Salvador away on March 27 away as part of the Concacaf Nations Leagues group stage. You can catch the Nations League matches on Paramount+.
In addition to that, the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup will take place in United States in the summer from June 24 to July 16. The Americans are the reigning champs.
What we know for 2024
This could be a a big year for the USMNT. The U.S. will play in the 2024 Summer Olympics in France for the first time since 2008, but it’s important to note that will a team comprised of U-23 players with a maximum of three overage players. Also, since the U.S. won’t need to quality for the next World Cup, don’t be surprised if they try and get into the 2024 Copa America as an invited guest.
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What we know for 2025
The 2025 Gold Cup is set to be played in the summer.
What we know for 2026
The World Cup returns to the United States for the first time since 1994. It will be an expanded competition with 48 teams up from 32. As it stands, the plan is to have 16 groups comprised of three teams, with the top two teams from each team advancing to the knockout stage. This promises to be the biggest World Cup in terms of games held in the history of the competition.