The United States is racing toward an era-defining 2026 World Cup on home soil, but there are plenty of obstacles in their way with the FIFA championship still more than two years away.
After a disappointing result at the Copa America where the USMNT was eliminated in the group stage, head coach Gregg Berhalter was fired and Mauricio Pochettino took his place.
The year 2024 was supposed to be crucial in preparing for the 2026 World Cup, but the Copa America was a step backwards. The US national team must continue to move forward, however, and there will be a number of matches to close out the calendar year that will be important for Pochettino in building his best team.
Several international friendlies remain to come, including against Mexico south of the border, while the CONCACAF Nations League looms in November.
USMNT Schedule and Fixtures for 2024
A disappointing Copa America, which saw the United States beaten by Panama and Uruguay, and forced to start from scratch by parting ways with Gregg Berhalter and signing former Champions League finalist Mauricio Pochettino.
Before that, the United States won its third straight CONCACAF Nations League title in March, playing a pair of tough pre-Copa America friendlies against Colombia and Brazil.
The Americans will play four international friendlies during the September and October international breaks, at home against Canada, New Zealand, Panama and Mexico. The Americans have never lost to the top three, but playing Mexico away from home is a tall order.
The Uruguayans will then close out the year with a home-and-away match in November against a yet-to-be-determined opponent in the quarterfinals of the upcoming CONCACAF Nations League. Potential opponents include Jamaica, Costa Rica, Honduras and Guatemala or any surprise qualifiers from the league stage of the competition.
| Date | Competition | Correspond | Location | Time (ET) | TV | Streaming |
| Sat. Jan 20 | International friendly match | United States 0-1 Slovenia | San Antonio, Texas (Toyota Land) |
3:00 p.m. | HIGHLIGHTS | |
| Thursday March 21 | CONCACAF Nations League Semi-finals |
United States 2-1 Jamaica (aet) |
Arlington, Texas (AT&T Stadium) |
7 p.m. | HIGHLIGHTS | |
| Sunday March 24 | CONCACAF Nations League Final/3rd place |
United States 2-0 Mexico | Arlington, Texas (AT&T Stadium) |
9:15 p.m. | HIGHLIGHTS | |
| Sat. June 8 | International friendly match | Colombia 5-1 USA | Landover, Maryland (FedEx Field) |
5:30 p.m. | HIGHLIGHTS | |
| Wednesday June 12 | International friendly match | United States 1-1 Brazil | Orlando (Camping World Stadium) |
7 p.m. | HIGHLIGHTS | |
| Sunday June 23 | Copa America 2024 Group stage |
United States 2-0 Bolivia | Arlington, Texas (AT&T Stadium) |
6 p.m. | HIGHLIGHTS | |
| Thu 27 June | Copa America 2024 Group stage |
USA 1-2 Panama | Atlanta, Georgia (Mercedes-Benz Stadium) |
6 p.m. | HIGHLIGHTS | |
| Monday July 1st | Copa America 2024 Group stage |
United States 0-1 Uruguay | Kansas City, Missouri (Arrowhead Stadium) |
9 p.m. | HIGHLIGHTS | |
| Sat. 7 Sept. | International friendly match | United States vs Canada | Kansas City, Kansas (Children’s Mercy Park) |
7 p.m. | TBS, Telemundo | SlingMax, Peacock |
| Tuesday September 10 | International friendly match | United States vs New Zealand | Cincinnati, Ohio (TQL Stadium) |
7 p.m. | TNT, truTV, Universe | SlingMax, Peacock |
| Sat. Oct 12 | International friendly match | United States vs Panama | Austin, Texas (Q2 stage) |
9 p.m. | TNT, Telemundo, Universe | SlingMax, Peacock |
| Tuesday October 15 | International friendly match | Mexico vs USA | Akron Stadium (Guadalajara, Mexico) |
4 p.m. | TNT | SlingMax |
| Monday November 18 | CONCACAF Nations League Quarterfinals | To be determined | CITYPARK (St. Louis, MO) | To be determined | Fubo | |
| To be determined (November 2024) | CONCACAF Nations League Quarterfinals | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | Fubo | |
USA eliminated from Copa America 2024 in Group C
The United States was placed in an intriguing Group C for the 2024 Copa America, but had to qualify for the knockout stage among the four teams.
Unfortunately, they failed to reach that level, with a crushing defeat to Panama, punctuated by an early red card for Tim Weah, which left them chasing the result with a man down. They were unable to compete thereafter, and found themselves in a must-win situation against title contenders Uruguay.
Marcelo Bielsa’s side were in good form, having beaten Argentina and Brazil in the opening stages of the CONMEBOL 2026 World Cup qualifiers, and it was too big a task for Gregg Berhalter and his team-mates, losing 1-0 to confirm their elimination from the competition.
USA wins 2023/2024 CONCACAF Nations League
The United States eliminated Trinidad & Tobago in the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Nations League, thanks in part to a 3-0 home win in the first leg that secured their qualification. This result proved crucial, as they lost the return leg away 2-1 but still qualified on aggregate.
In the Nations League semifinals, the United States took advantage of a last-minute own goal by Jamaica’s Cory Burke to force overtime, in which the USMNT ultimately beat Jamaica 3-1. Then, in the final in Arlington, Texas, the USMNT dominated Mexico, earning another victory Two to zero to win the Nations League title.
Quarter finals
The quarter-finals pitted four seeded teams, who earned a bye into this round, against four teams that qualified from the group stage. They were played over two legs in November 2023.
| Correspond | 1st step | 2nd step |
| #2 United States 4-2 Trinidad and Tobago | 3-0 | 2-1 |
| #4 Costa Rica 1-6 Panama | 0-3 | 3-1 |
| #3 Canada 4-4 Jamaica* | 2-1 | 2-3 |
| #1 Mexico** 2-2 Honduras | 2-0 | 2-0 |
* Advancement to away goals tiebreaker
** Advancement by penalty shootout
Semi-finals
To determine the semi-final matchups, the quarter-final winners are rearranged and placed in a bracket based on their results in the two quarter-final legs.
| Date | Time | Confrontation |
| March 21, 2024 | 7 p.m. | USA 3-1 Jamaica AET |
| March 21, 2024 | 10:15 p.m. | Panama 0-3 Mexico |
Third place
| Date | Time | Confrontation |
| March 24, 2024 | 6 p.m. | Jamaica 1-0 Panama |
Final
| Date | Time | Confrontation |
| March 24, 2024 | 9:15 p.m. | USA 2-0 Mexico |
United States to compete in 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris
While the women’s Olympic team is comprised of an all-professional squad, the men’s competition is limited to a U-23 tournament.
Teams must have a roster consisting solely of players from youth teams, with three exemptions per nation. These three players can be anyone, so head coaches must use their player selections wisely.
In theory, players can choose from all those in the national team, but in practice this is unrealistic, as the Olympics take place shortly after the Copa America or the Euros, and shortly before the start of the club season, meaning that it is impossible to ask players to participate in both. Thus, players who participate with their senior national team in major tournaments are almost all excluded from selection for their Olympic team.
Group stage
The United States has been placed in Group A of the men’s Olympic draw, alongside hosts France, coached by Thierry Henry. USYNT beat France in friendly back in the March international window.
Group A standings
| Pos. | Nation | Pts | General practitioner | WLD | GD |
| 1. | France | 0 | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 |
| 2. | USA | 0 | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 |
| 3. | To be determined (AFC/CAF qualifiers) | 0 | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 |
| 4. | New Zealand | 0 | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 |
Group A program
| Date | Time (ET) | Correspond | Location |
| Wednesday July 24 | 11am | To be determined against New Zealand | Allianz Riviera (Nice, France) |
| Wednesday July 24 | 3:00 p.m. | France vs USA | Orange Velodrome (Marseille, France) |
| Sat. Jul 27 | 1:00 p.m. | New Zealand vs USA | Orange Velodrome (Marseille, France) |
| Sat. Jul 27 | 3:00 p.m. | France against To be determined | Allianz Riviera (Nice, France) |
| Tuesday July 30 | 1:00 p.m. | New Zealand vs France | Orange Velodrome (Marseille, France) |
| Tuesday July 30 | 1:00 p.m. | United States vs. To be determined | Geoffroy Guichard Stadium (Saint-Etienne, France) |
Knockout stage
If the United States qualifies by finishing second in their group, their path to the knockout stage will be determined by their position in the group stage. If they finish first in Group A, they will face the runner-up in Group B, while if they finish second in Group A, they will face the winner of Group B.
Group B includes Argentina, Ukraine, Morocco and a qualifier to be determined from the Asian confederation.
Quarter finals
| Date | Time (ET) | Correspond | Location |
| Fri 2nd August | 9am | QF2: 1st, Group B vs 2nd, Group A | Parc des Princes (Paris, France) |
| Fri 2nd August | 11am | QF4: 1st, Group D vs 2nd, Group C | Groupama Stadium (Lyon, France) |
| Fri 2nd August | 1:00 p.m. | QF3: 1st, Group C vs 2nd, Group D | Orange Velodrome (Marseille, France) |
| Fri 2nd August | 3:00 p.m. | QF1: 1st, Group A vs 2nd, Group B | Matmut Atlantic (Bordeaux, France) |
Semi-finals
| Date | Time (ET) | Correspond | Location |
| Monday August 5th | 12:00 p.m. | Winner, QF1 vs Winner, QF3 | Orange Velodrome (Marseille, France) |
| Fri 2nd August | 3:00 p.m. | Winner, QF2 vs Winner, QF4 | Groupama Stadium (Lyon, France) |
Third place
| Date | Time (ET) | Correspond | Location |
| Thursday August 8 | 11am | Loser, SF1 vs. Loser, SF2 | Beaujoire Stadium (Nantes, France) |
Final
| Date | Time (ET) | Correspond | Location |
| Fri. 9 Aug | 12:00 p.m. | Winner, SF1 vs. Winner, SF2 | Parc des Princes (Paris, France) |
