U.S. men’s soccer coach says team can win World Cup with Trump’s pressure

A World Cup is possible for the U.S. men’s soccer team, coach Mauricio Pochettino says — if it can get a helping hand from President Trump.

The 2026 World Cup will be hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico, with the final held July 19 at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium.

“President, with your help, with the fans behind [us] hosting the World Cup, all is possible,” Pochettino told Sky Sports this week.

As hosts, the pressure is on for the automatically qualified Americans. After failing to qualify for the World Cup in 2018, the U.S. reached the knockout round in Qatar in 2022, but the Americans haven’t advanced to the quarterfinals since 2002 in Japan and South Korea.

“In sport, in everything that Americans are involved in, they want to win. The players know it’s going to be massive pressure, and now our president likes to put pressure on, but it’s welcome,” Pochettino said. “That means we are going to feel the adrenaline we need to feel. We are ready to deliver.”

Trump has made his presence felt at sporting events since taking office in January. He became the first sitting president to attend a Super Bowl during last month’s NFL title game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs in New Orleans. A week later, he was in Florida to pace the field at NASCAR’s Daytona 500.

• This story is based in part on wire service reports.