When is the USMNT’s first friendly match? These are Team USA’s pre World Cup warm-up games
Before opening up its 2026 World Cup campaign on June 12, the USMNT has two final tournament tune-up matches to play.
The U.S. national men’s team (USMNT), whose 2026 World Cup squad was confirmed on Tuesday, kicks off its tournament in 17 days’ time: in the co-hosts’ group-stage opener, Paraguay is the opponent at SoFi Stadium.
Drawn in Group D, the Americans are also due to face Australia and Turkey in the competition’s round-robin stage.
Before their World Cup kickoff, however, Mauricio Pochettino’s men are to complete their preparations with a double-header of final tournament tune-ups. The first of those two friendly assignments sees the USMNT host Senegal on May 31, with Charlotte’s Bank of America stadium the venue.
What to know about Senegal
Coached by Pape Thiaw, Senegal is also gearing up for this summer’s finals in North America, having qualified for their third straight World Cup. The Teranga Lions have been drawn in arguably the tournament’s toughest first-round section: they share Group I with Kylian Mbappé’s France, Erling Haaland’s Norway, and Iraq.
Ranked 14th in the world, two places above the USMNT, Senegal beat Morocco 1-0 in January’s Africa Cup of Nations final - but was later stripped of its title.
In March, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) ruled that the Senegalese had forfeited the game by temporarily leaving the field in protest at a late penalty award for Morocco. Real Madrid winger Brahim Díaz missed the spot-kick for the Atlas Lions - sending a weak effort straight at goalkeeper Édouard Mendy - but Senegal’s walk-off prompted CAF to declare a 3-0 win for the Moroccans.
This month’s friendly in North Carolina will be the first ever meeting between the USMNT and Senegal.
Who else does the USMNT face before the World Cup?
After facing the Senegalese, the USMNT is scheduled to close out its World Cup warm-ups against Germany on June 6.
Chicago’s Soldier Field is to host the matchup with the four-time world champions, who head to this summer’s finals seeking to bounce back from World Cup flops in 2018 and 2022. Winners as recently as 2014, Die Mannschaft has exited the last two editions of the competition at the group stage.
Now coached by Julian Nagelsmann, the No. 10-ranked Germans are in Group E at this summer’s World Cup, alongside Curaçao, Ecuador and Ivory Coast.
The USMNT has met Germany 12 times in all competitions, winning four and losing eight. The teams’ most recent encounter was in October 2023, when goals by Ilkay Gündogan, Niclas Füllkrug and Jamal Musiala gave the visitors a 3-1 friendly victory in Connecticut.
At a glance: USMNT’s upcoming schedule:
International friendlies:
- May 31, 3:30 p.m. ET: USMNT vs Senegal, Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte
- June 6, 2:30 p.m. ET: USMNT vs Germany, Soldier Field, Chicago
World Cup Group D:
- June 12, 9:00 p.m. ET: USMNT vs Paraguay, SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles
- June 19, 3:00 p.m. ET: USMNT vs Australia, Lumen Field, Seattle
- June 25, 10:00 p.m. ET: Turkey vs USMNT, SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles
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