Pochettino: USMNT aims to win the 2026 World Cup, no excuses!

Pochettino aims high: United States dreams of winning the 2026 World Cup

The United States men’s national team coach, Mauricio Pochettino, maintains his firm goal of conquering the 2026 World Cup. The Argentine coach insists that his players must “think big” to achieve success in the tournament. Although the USMNT hasn’t reached the World Cup quarter-finals since the 2002 edition, their best result in the modern era, Pochettino believes the team should aim to win the tournament that will be co-hosted with Canada and Mexico next year. Pochettino cited Morocco as an example, who surprised many by reaching the semi-finals in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

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For me, it’s about winning. I believe that if you don’t win, what does it matter? If you come in second, nobody remembers.

Mauricio Pochettino

In an interview for “Futbol de Primera”, Pochettino stated: “I think we must aim to win it. Then you tell me ‘you reach the semi-finals, you reach the quarter-finals, you have a great tournament and, due to different factors, well, you can’t win’. I think we must give ourselves credit and merit, but I think if you look at Morocco in Qatar, I think they get where they get because they always had the mentality of saying: ‘I’m going to go for it, I’m going to win'”. The coach highlighted the importance of “thinking big” and establishing football as a constant in the country.

Since taking office after the disappointing participation of the USMNT in the Copa América last year, Pochettino has emphasized the importance of a strong mentality and culture within the national team, constantly working to improve on and off the field. Pochettino referred to a turning point when losing the 2025 Gold Cup against Mexico, falling 2-1 on July 6. Since then, the team has found a way to compete and raise its standards. After the defeat against Mexico, the USMNT has achieved a record of 4 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss. Recently, Pochettino led the Stars and Stripes to a surprising 5-1 victory over Uruguay. Despite this, there have been criticisms of Pochettino’s mandate with the USMNT. “There are coaches here in the United States who have criticized me completely unnecessarily. I would never have criticized a coach,” Pochettino said. “I don’t criticize because I know how difficult it is to be a coach.” The USMNT is scheduled to play against Portugal and Belgium in March, in what will be the last two matches before Pochettino names his roster for the World Cup.