The United States Men’s National Team will have a busy start to the fall. Today, U.S. Soccer announced four friendlies that the USMNT will play during the newly-created September-October double FIFA international window.
First, the USMNT will take on a couple of South American opponents, first against Peru at Inter.co Stadium in Orlando on September 26th, with kickoff set for 4:30pm ET. They will then move to Energizer Park in St. Louis three days later to face Chile, with that match having a 7:00pm
ET kickoff.
Then, they will battle their fellow 2026 World Cup co-hosts in friendly matches. The first will be against Mexico on October 3rd at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Kickoff for that match will be at 10:00pm ET. The final match will be against Canada at Allianz Field in St. Paul, Minnesota, with kickoff set for 8:00pm ET.
The announcement of the September-October friendlies follows the news yesterday that USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino will remain in charge of the program for the 2030 World Cup cycle. The federation announced that they had re-signed the 54-year-old Argentine to a new contract that would see him in charge of the team through the end of the 2030 World Cup. The friendlies will be the first matches for the USMNT since they were eliminated from the World Cup.
“We are so excited to start this new phase of our journey with matches in front of our home fans. Their amazing energy during the summer has set the standard,” Pochettino said in a statement. “We expect our players to compete with the mentality that every game is critical, and they must show the passion and commitment our fans deserve. Our objective is always to play the best opponents possible, and these matches provide a variety of experiences for this group of players as we begin this new chapter of the U.S Men’s National Team.”
The September-October window could be the only opportunity for the USMNT to play friendlies for a while, as they will compete in the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals in November. Their opponent will be determined by how the group stage plays out during the September-October window. Should they win the quarterfinal series, they would advance to the Concacaf Nations League Finals in March, which will take place at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
With the friendlies, they will get a chance to play two South American teams that did not make the World Cup and have not faced the USMNT in a while. Peru last faced the United States in October 2018, while Chile’s last match against the USMNT occurred in March 2019. Peru is ranked 50th in the latest FIFA world rankings, while Chile sits one place above them in 49th.
In Mexico and Canada, they get a chance to renew two local rivalries. Mexico is the highest ranked team in Concacaf, ranked 10th in the world after their World Cup run to the Round of 16. Canada, also after a Round of 16 exit, ranks 30th in the world. The USMNT will enter those matches as the 16th ranked team in the world and looking to get excellent results in their first matches after the World Cup.
