Following the conclusion of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the U.S. men’s national team has officially embarked on the most important four-year World Cup cycle in the history of the men’s program.
That’s because the USA will host the 2026 World Cup alongside CONCACAF neighbors Canada and Mexico, with all eyes on the Stars & Stripes, who will be carrying high expectations heading into the tournament.
Since the USA automatically qualifies to the World Cup as host, the team will miss out on competitive qualifying matches, but they will likely be participating in the 2024 Copa America, which will be coming to the United States. There are also two Gold Cup and two Nations League tournaments between now and then that will also provide competitive action.
With the 2023 calendar year in motion and the next cycle already underway, The Sporting News brings you the full year’s list of fixtures confirmed on the U.S. schedule, as well as the results as they happen.
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The United States is navigating through a busy summer with two continental tournaments. After winning the CONCACAF Nations League, the Americans fell short in their defense of the CONCACAF Gold Cup title.
Interim head coach B.J. Callaghan was in charge for both events, with Gregg Berhalter taking over in the September 2023 international window.
Berhalter, who coached the USA at the 2022 World Cup, made his return as permanent boss in September friendlies against Oman and Uzbekistan. However, reports claim that these friendlies only came about after long-held plans to play South American giants Argentina and Brazil fell through due to scheduling conflicts with CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying.
After friendlies against top-tier sides Germany and Ghana in October, they will next match up against Trinidad & Tobago in the 2023/24 CONCACAF Nations League tournament in November. The USMNT faces its first trip back to the Caribbean nation since the embarrassing and painful 2017 disaster that saw them miss the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The winner of that two-legged matchup will not only move on to the semifinals, but secures a spot in the 2024 Copa America as well.
* Outside official FIFA international windows
** Team won on penalty shootout
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As the only winner of the CONCACAF Nations League, twice victorious across the competition’s two all-time editions, the United States looked to once again defend its title in the upcoming tournament.
However, this edition of the Nations League is extra special, as reaching the semifinals also qualifies nations to take part in next summer’s Copa America, to be hosted in the United States.
Quarterfinal matchups are between four seeded teams, which earned a bye to this round, against four qualifiers from the group stage.
In the table below, the home team’s score is listed first in each match, with seeded teams hosting first leg and unseeded teams hosting second leg.
* Advanced on away goals tiebreaker
** Advanced via penalty shootout
To determine semifinal matchups, quarterfinal winners are re-seeded, placed in a table based on their results across the two quarterfinal legs.
The USA defended the Nations League title it won in 2021 by defeating Mexico (semifinals), and Canada (final) to hoist the trophy in 2023 in Las Vegas.
The Americans reached the semifinals of the competition by finishing atop Group D, ending with 10 points through four matches.
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In the CONCACAF Nations League semifinals in June 2023, the final four teams were the four group winners, who were matched up based on points gained through the group stage. Goal difference was the first tiebreaker in this re-seeding process.
The top team in the re-seeded table (USA) faced the bottom team (Mexico) in one semifinal, while the second-placed team (Panama) met the third-placed team (Canada).
The Americans are also defending champions of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, which is held every other year in odd-numbered years. In 2023 it will once again be hosted by the United States and run from June 24-July 16.
Technically, all teams must qualify for the Gold Cup through the CONCACAF Nations League, and the U.S. have done so, as have Canada and Mexico, by finishing among the top two of their Nations League group to qualify directly. Others qualified for the tournament through the preliminary rounds.
In the 2023 Gold Cup, 16 teams will contest the title: 15 from North America (CONCACAF), plus guest nation Qatar, who have been invited to participate in 2023 as they were two years ago in the 2021 tournament, when they reached the semifinals.
The USA were drawn into Group A of the Gold Cup against Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, and St. Kitts & Nevis. Only the top two teams from each Gold Cup group will advance to the quarterfinals.
In early March of 2023, U.S. Soccer announced a new annual event known as the Continental Clasico, in which the USMNT will play a varying team from North, Central, or South America.
In the inaugural Continental Clasico, the USMNT drew rivals Mexico on April 19 in Glendale, Arizona. The match finished 1-1, with Jesus Ferreira securing a draw with his 82nd minute equalizer.
Since the match did not fall within a designated FIFA international window, the top, European-based players did not feature for either nation. Instead, the rosters were largely made up of domestic-based players that are voluntarily released from their club.
The @Allstate Continental Clásico ⚽️
We welcome El Tri to kick-off a new annual event bringing top-tier opponents from North, Central and South America to the U.S.
🇺🇸 USA vs Mexico🇲🇽
📆 April 19
📍 Glendale, AZ
More Info » https://t.co/pBY9L9egXr pic.twitter.com/v78yhEqfR9
Kyle Bonn is a soccer content producer for The Sporting News.
