Is USA ready for the biggest and most expensive World Cup in history – and what if USMNT flops?

Everyone already knows that this will be the biggest and most expensive sports tournament in the history of the world.

But will the United States Men’s National Team actually be any good in a 2026 FIFA World Cup that could change the direction of USA soccer — best known as football to the rest of the world — for decades to come?

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Will bigger be better for US Soccer?

“Obviously winning the World Cup would be a dream of mine. And what better time to do it on home soil?” Crystal Palace and USMNT defender Chris Richards exclusively told talkSPORT.

“I can’t even begin to describe what it’s going to be like. I’m just super excited for the moment.”

The numbers are staggering for an expanded World Cup that will bounce between Mexico, Canada and the United States from June 11 at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City until a July 19 final at MetLife Stadium in New York/Jersey.

It will be more matches (104), teams (48) and money (an estimated $13 billion in revenue) for a sport that normally ranks below the NFL, MLB, NBA, college football and college basketball in American popularity.

On some days, the NHL, WNBA, auto racing and horse racing are bigger than soccer in the USA.

But if former Tottenham and Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino — who’s coaching with an expiring contract and was recently linked to global powerhouse Real Madrid — can inspire generational greatness from USMNT in 2026, a two-month World Cup buzz will significantly lift an MLS league that already features living legend Lionel Messi (Argentina) playing his club games in Miami.

Christian ‘Captain America’ Pulisic (AC Milan), Tyler Adams (Bournemouth) and Folarin Balogun (Monaco) highlight the Group D potential of a USMNT roster that will be finalized on May 26.

US Soccer has been building toward this historic World Cup since the first one was hosted in America in 1994.

USMNT will be guided by ex-Premier League manager

Pochettino’s current squad is trying to improve on a Round of 16 finish in 2022, which followed a stunning failure to qualify in 2018.

“In Folarin Balogun, you have somebody that is built to be that focal point, that number 9, that source of goals,” football correspondent Ben Jacobs exclusively told talkSPORT.

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“If he can get going, then suddenly the US Men’s National Team have got weapons, have got form, have got chemistry. And if Pochettino can get all of this potential to click, then there is no reason why — with home support — the US Men’s National Team can’t get beyond that Round of 32 and, who knows, maybe even as far as a quarterfinal.”

There will be daily pressure, national expectations and worldwide eyes.

There will also be a soccer team representing a country that takes pride in its sporting excellence and regular dominance in the Olympics.

USMNT must rise to the moment, match after match, in a World Cup that will often be colored by money, long-distance travel and playing soccer in revamped NFL stadiums.

Pochettino must get USA roster right

“It goes without saying that this World Cup arguably will be the biggest sporting event in the history of sport,” Michael Yormark, president of Roc Nation Sports, exclusively told talkSPORT.

Breaking it down

talkSPORT's inside look at the 2026 USMNT roster

Ben Jacobs on Tyler Adams:

“This is a player that’s being looked at by some of the top clubs in the world, when fit.”

Former USMNT star Tab Ramos on Weston McKennie:

“We need him to be in one position for our team and that’s that 8 that gets into the box and plays box to box, winning balls and actually getting goals for the team. If he has a good World Cup, we have a real good shot at doing really well.”

Jacobs on USMNT adding another center back:

“That will allow Jedi (Antonee) Robinson to really bomb forward with a bit more freedom, and that can help stretch the pitch and create more space potentially for some of the central midfielders.”

Jacobs on ‘Captain America’:

“How do you get the best out of Christian Pulisic, not just in terms of goal contributions, but as a leader?”

Players to watch: Ricardo Pepi, Giovanni Reyna, Brenden Aaronson, Johnny Cardoso (if healthy)

“You think about three continents. You think about 48 teams — international teams. It’s the biggest World Cup, right? You think about 104 matches.

“I’ve heard the (FIFA) president Gianni Infantino say it’s 104 Super Bowls. And so when you think about that in that context, it’s going to be amazing.”

After two flat outings that resulted in pre-World Cup friendly defeats vs Belgium and Portugal — which was missing global superstar Cristiano Ronaldo — Pochettino’s roster decisions will be paramount.

Goalkeeper and center back will receive the most scrutiny, while USMNT’s head coach is only guaranteed three more matches in red, white and blue.

“He (Pochettino) has to be dispassionate and realize that his contract expires at the end of this World Cup,” Jacobs said.

“We can no doubt talk about whether or not there’s a chance that he stays still. But for Pochettino, this is win or bust. And by win, I don’t necessarily mean go all the way and lift the Jules Rimet Trophy. But if the US Men’s National Team don’t progress past the Round of 32, I think internally within US soccer that will be seen as a big disappointment. 

“Pochettino needs to decide between Matt Turner and Matt Freese — Matt will be the No. 1, but we don’t know which one yet.”

Could USMNT select a 38-year-old defender for World Cup?

“In defense, Chris Richards is a lock. But will it be two or three center backs? And if it’s Tim Ream, you could argue given his age and form at the moment — despite the experience and the value that he brings off the field — that another center back could prove important.”

Impact of Pochettino

Chris Richards to talkSPORT on Pochettino:

“With Poch coming in, he kind of instilled this fight that we needed.

“People think of CONCACAF as a scrappy league, a scrappy division of the world. But we’ve really embraced it over the last year or so with him coming in. When you’re able to do that, your quality will eventually come out on the ball.

“But I think it’s making sure that no team goes up there and outplays you or at least outworks you. That’s something you can always control.”

Unlock the right door, though, and there’s a shining path for USMNT to take over America this summer and remind the world of the uniting power of “USA! USA! USA!”

The 2026 World Cup will still leap forward the moment that US Soccer is eliminated, if that happens.

But the 2026 World Cup will truly become the biggest sports tournament in history if Pochettino’s unproven squad keeps soccer alive in the USA from June through July.

“Can we make it to not only the quarterfinal, but can we potentially go to a semifinal, one that we haven’t been to since 1930?” Tab Ramos, a former USMNT midfielder, exclusively told talkSPORT.

“Not that that’s the expectation. But I think when you hire a coach of this magnitude, I think you want to go a little bit further than you’ve gone before. And I think a lot of people are thinking along the lines that I’m thinking right now.” 

After four years of waiting for a 2026 World Cup decades in the making, the answers are almost here for the state of soccer in the United States.

Countdown to the World Cup

104 Super Bowls in six weeks – Brian T Smith argues that the Super Bowl might just be about to be blown out of the water

Ranking the World Cup venues – from New York to Los Angeles, a string of spectacular venues will play host to the 2026 World Cup

Over and Elbowed Out – exclusive interview with the USMNT hero whose 1994 World Cup ended with a fractured skull

Chris Richards Exclusive – the Crystal Palace defender opens up on his journey to the top, next stop a home World Cup for the kid from Birmingham, Alabama