Mercedes-Benz Stadium will host the first two of the United States’ final four games before the 2026 World Cup.Photograph: John David Mercer/USA TODAY SportsAlexander AbnosTue, December 2, 2025 at 9:00 PM UTC·3 min readThe US men’s national team have lined up a parade of top-tier European opposition to serve as warm-up opponents ahead of their opening game in the 2026 World Cup.
The US Soccer Federation announced on Tuesday that the national team will play Belgium and Portugal in the March Fifa window, with both matches taking place at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on 28 and 31 March, respectively. Those matches will be followed by two friendlies in the window immediately preceding the World Cup, with the second one coming against Germany in Chicago on 6 June. The first game of the pre-World Cup series is against an opponent to be determined in Charlotte, North Carolina, on 31 May. Multiple reports have indicated that the opponent will be announced after the World Cup draw. (Fifa rules forbid group opponents from playing each other in a friendly ahead of the tournament.)
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementRelated: Pochettino’s first full USMNT year started shakily. It ends with real World Cup hope
The United States’ games against Belgium and Portugal will be the squad’s last chance to make an impression on head coach Mauricio Pochettino and staff before the final roster for the World Cup is named ahead of the subsequent camp. The location is also significant, with US Soccer having recently moved its headquarters to Atlanta and with a new national training center already under construction in the city’s suburbs.
In Belgium and Portugal, the US will face two opponents in the top 10 of the Fifa world rankings, and also two that they faced in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The US faced Portugal in the group stage in Manaus, with Sebastian Varela scoring a last-gasp equalizer after Clint Dempsey put the US up 2-1. The Americans’ run in the World Cup was ended by Belgium in the round of 16, as Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku scored in extra-time amid a legendary 16-save performance by US goalkeeper Tim Howard.
Today, Belgium and Portugal are still among the European elite. Belgium won their World Cup qualifying group and are still led by De Bruyne along with goalkeeper Thibault Courtois. Portugal’s visit, meanwhile, will be notable mostly for the presence of Cristiano Ronaldo, who has not played in the United States since being accused of sexual assault in Las Vegas in 2017 (which Ronaldo has consistently denied). The allegations kicked off a years-long legal battle, culminating in a suit that was thrown out by a judge in 2022, with an appeal denied in 2023.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementJune’s matchup at Chicago’s Soldier Field will take the US back to the city where the federation was housed before Atlanta. Germany, their opponents, will be making their 21st World Cup appearance in the summer of 2026 and were also a 2014 World Cup group opponent for the US. The Germans defeated the US 1-0 in rainy conditions in Recife.
All of the above countries reside in Pot 1 for the World Cup draw this Friday, meaning they will not have the United States as group opponents. The US’s potential opposition in Charlotte, though, could be a potential opponent, necessitating the draw to happen first before finalizing the agreement.
“For us, this is a massive opportunity to challenge ourselves against some of the top teams in the world. These are incredible matches for the players and for the fans,” USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino said. “We are so happy to be playing in our new home of Atlanta, and of course to be competing in the great cities of Charlotte and Chicago ahead of the World Cup.”
The World Cup draw takes place on 5 December in Washington DC.
AdvertisementAdvertisement
