USA news

The 2026 World Cup is almost here. After years of build-up, dramatic qualifiers and numerous good - and bad - news stories surrounding FIFA's flagship finals, players and coaches from around the world are completing their last preparations after descending on the United States, Mexico and Canada for the biggest international football tournament to ever have been staged.

We're now just hours away from the start of the 2026 World Cup, with teams currently making their final preparations ahead of the big kick-off in the United States, Mexico and Canada on Thursday. This is the biggest World Cup ever, with 48 teams having qualified, meaning there are a whole host of players making their first appearance on the global stage.

The defender's status has been touch-and-go, but after training in full this week, Richards is eager to play on Friday

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has controversially urged people to "chill and relax" after Somalian match official Omar Artan was denied entry to the United States for the upcoming World Cup. Infantino insisted that the governing body are not the "kings of the world" and cannot override strict border decisions, leaving the referee devastated and stranded ahead of the global showpiece.

GOAL dives into the summer that changed the sport of soccer with stories from those who lived it

In March, after the U.S. men's national team suffered back-to-back humblings at the hands of Belgium and Portugal, Mauricio Pochettino wondered aloud about the players he had at his disposal. Whether that vocal wondering came from a place of honesty or from a place of motivation, only Pochettino knows. The only certainty was that his assessment was blunt: his team, man for man, wasn't as good as the elite.

GOAL takes a look at the big storylines and takeaways in the latest installment of the USMNT notebook.

For the next few weeks, the U.S. will be based in Orange County, but the process of getting them there took years

Somali match official Omar Artan will miss the upcoming World Cup after being sensationally denied entry into the United States. The referee was turned away by immigration authorities at Miami International Airport, completely ruining his historic opportunity to become the first representative from his country to officiate at the global showpiece.

GOAL takes a look at the big storylines and takeaways in the latest installment of the USMNT notebook.

The U.S. responded well to going 1-0 down against Germany, but settled for little more than a hard-working loss against a better opponent - an eerily familiar outcome.

Throughout the last few years, American soccer has routinely pleaded with Christian Pulisic to acknowledge reality. The question has come in different forms, but it has always circled the same idea: Does he feel the weight of being the face of the U.S. men's national team heading into a home World Cup?