World Cup 2026

When is the HBO documentary about the USMNT coming out? ‘U.S. Against the World’ release date and trailer

HBO documentary follows the United States men’s national soccer team four-year journey, offering behind-the-scenes access into a turbulent World Cup 2026 buildup.

ERIK S. LESSER

Roddy Cons

Digital sports journalist

Scottish sports journalist and content creator. After running his own soccer-related projects, in 2022 he joined Diario AS, where he mainly reports on the biggest news from around Europe’s leading soccer clubs, Liga MX and MLS, and covers live games in a not-too-serious tone. Likes to mix things up by dipping into the world of American sports.

Update: Apr 1st, 2026 16:48 EDT

As one of three co-hosts of the 2026 World Cup, the pressure is on the United States men’s national team to perform. It would be easy to argue, however, that preparation for the tournament has been far from ideal. We will get the chance to see for ourselves when “U.S. Against the World,” an HBO documentary, comes out on May 12, almost a month to the day before the USMNT plays its first World Cup game against Paraguay in Los Angeles.

The full title of the documentary is “U.S. Against the World: Four Years with the Men’s National Team,” which tells us exactly what we should expect to learn about.

“U.S. Against the World” trailer

Coming May 12th, U.S. Against the World: Four Years with the Men's National Team, a new HBO Documentary Series leading up to the World Cup.

📺 @hbomax pic.twitter.com/hz5M2FaYul
— U.S. Soccer Men's National Team (@USMNT) April 1, 2026

High expectations after World Cup 2022

Having had the second-youngest roster at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, hopes were high the Stars and Stripes would peak during the upcoming home tournament.

However, there have been some significant setbacks along the way. Gregg Berhalter, Pochettino’s predecessor, left after the U.S. lost to the Netherlands in the round of 16 in Qatar, but was then rehired a few months later. Berhalter was then fired in July 2024 after the USMNT failed to get out of the group stage of that year’s Copa America, played on American soil.

Coaching changes and early Pochettino turbulence

Pochettino was chosen as his high-profile and high-earning replacement, but got off to a rocky start. In the Argentine’s second game in charge, the United States lost to Mexico, before failing to win the CONCACAF Nations League for the first time in the tournament’s existence thanks to a shock semifinal defeat to Panama in March last year.

In the summer of 2025, an inexperienced U.S. team again lost to Mexico in the Gold Cup final, although Pochettino succeeded in turning the tanker around somewhat at the end of the year. The USMNT won four and drew one of their last five games in 2025.

USMNT Reaction to Belgium & Portugal.

Mauricio Pochettino has run out of time, and between him and Gregg Berhalter, it feels like four years were wasted. #USMNT pic.twitter.com/GfD28uAnam
— herculez gomez (@herculezg) April 1, 2026

World Cup 2026 preparations off to poor start

2026 has gotten off to a challenging start, with performances in back-to-back defeats against Belgium and Portugal prompting former USMNT attacker Herculez Gomez to claim four years have been “wasted” as the nation prepares to (co-)host another World Cup.

From May 12, you’ll be able to make your own mind up.