Kyle Bonn
With just one more full year to go in the 2026 World Cup cycle, head coach Mauricio Pochettino has precious few chances against top-tier competition to get the USMNT ready for that all-important competition.
Led by stars Christian Pulisic, Tim Weah, Weston McKennie, and the rest of the core group of players, the United States men are set to host that tournament on home soil next summer.
Until then, it’s all about preparing the squad for the biggest stage.
After contesting the final two matches of the 2024/25 CONCACAF Nations League in March, the U.S. will head into the summer with the 2025 Gold Cup in full view.
There are also whispers of Pochettino trying to arrange a friendly with Lionel Messi and his native Argentina at some point before the World Cup, so that could be on the horizon as well.
Remember, as 2026 World Cup hosts, the United States will not contest CONCACAF qualification, and neither will Canada nor Mexico, so finding competitive fixtures with tangible stakes will be paramount to the team’s preparation.
The Sporting News brings you an overview of the confirmed 2025 fixture list for the U.S. men’s national team as it becomes available, including how to watch each game as well as highlights and recaps from all completed matches.
MORE: A look back at the 2024 schedule for the USMNT with highlights and results
As it does every year, the USMNT will begin 2025 with January camp, which falls outside an official FIFA international window. This year, they will face Venezuela in a friendly to end January camp at Chase Stadium, the home of MLS side Inter Miami.
In March, the U.S. will participate in the CONCACAF Nations League semifinals, matched up with Panama, and pending the result of that fixture, they’ll meet either Canada or Mexico in the ensuing game.
This coming summer, the USMNT will contest the 2025 Gold Cup, which is the final complete competitive tournament before the 2026 FIFA World Cup the following summer.
MORE: A closer look at the full history between the USMNT and Mexico
* This match occurs outside an official FIFA international window, and therefore clubs are not required to release players for international duty.
To begin the 2025 calendar year, the U.S. men will meet Venezuela on January 18 in Ft. Lauderdale.
The friendly match falls at the conclusion of the annual January camp, which allows the coaching staff to get some extra time to teach and evaluate domestic-based players in the middle of their offseason.
Because January camp falls outside a designated FIFA international break, clubs are not required to release their players for international duty. Thus, the roster will mostly be made up of North American-based players in the midst of their offseason, with most European-based participants unavailable to participate.
With most of the main USMNT stars playing in Europe, this will allow Mauricio Pochettino to get time with players on the fringes of the roster who may be called upon either by merit or in the event of injury trouble.
With a 5-2 aggregate victory over Jamaica in the CONCACAF Nations League back in November, the United States will face Panama in the semifinals of the competition from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA.
Sitting as three-time defending champions of the competition, the USMNT have lifted the trophy in every iteration of the Nations League thus far, and will look to continue that domestic dominance.
Win that one-off semifinal on March 20, and the USMNT would find themselves in the final against the winner of Canada vs. Mexico three days later, while defeat would send them to the third-place match.
The 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup will give the USMNT a last opportunity to play a full competitive environment before the 2026 FIFA World Cup rolls around.
Held primarily west of the Mississippi River to limit travel with the Club World Cup taking place concurrently on the east coast, the Gold Cup will give the U.S. men a chance to reclaim the confederation’s historic throne.
The USMNT and Mexico have alternated as champions every two years since 2011, with El Tri winning the last edition two summers ago.
Beginning on June 14, the Gold Cup group stage will run for 10 days before the quarterfinals begin on June 28, progressing through the knockout stage before finishing with the final on July 6 at NRG Stadium in Houston.
The United States U-20 team will take part in the 2025 U-20 FIFA World Cup which begins in late September and runs through the middle of October.
Hosts Chile will welcome 24 teams from around the world for the competition. Thanks to a runner-up finish at the CONCACAF U-20 Championship last summer, the U.S. was named one of four CONCACAF youth sides set to participate alongside Mexico, Panama, and Cuba.
The U.S. has competed in all but six of the U-20 World Cup tournaments since it was first held in 1977, but has only ever progressed past the quarterfinals once, back in 1989 when they finished fourth.
It is possible that highly-touted youth prodigy Cavan Sullivan could take part in this event despite the fact he is still just 15 years old. Sullivan made headlines when he became the youngest-ever player to participate in an MLS match this past year, breaking the long-standing record held by Freddy Adu.
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Kyle Bonn, is a Syracuse University broadcast journalism graduate with over a decade of experience covering soccer globally. Kyle specializes in soccer tactics and betting, with a degree in data analytics. Kyle also does TV broadcasts for Wake Forest soccer, and has had previous stops with NBC Soccer and IMG College. When not covering the game, he has long enjoyed loyalty to the New York Giants, Yankees, and Fulham. Kyle enjoys playing racquetball and video games when not watching or covering sports.
