In Four Years, the USAMNT Will be the Best it has Ever Been
After losing 3-1 to a powerful Netherlands team in the round of 16, the 2022 World Cup is now over for the United States. Most would say that the USA did not disappoint but also did not exceed expectations with their performance in Qatar. The good news is that this World Cup allowed so many young and promising USA players to dip their feet into the World Cup experience. They are now looking towards 2026 when the United States is co-hosting the international event knowing that this upcoming World Cup is the best chance the red, white, and blue have ever had to win the cup.
Gregg Berhalter’s time as the USA coach is likely done but most of their core group of players will be in their prime four years from now, making the future look very bright. While this is perhaps the earliest 2026 USA World Cup roster projection in history, it is important to note that arguably all 8 of the United States’ best players will be between 23-28 years old for the next world cup, putting many of them in the primes of their careers. In addition to this, even more enticing players are coming up through the ranks that could make the USAMNT elite. From the 26-man roster for the 2022 World Cup these are the players most fans should expect to see again in 2026:
*Reminder that all of these players will be 3-4 years older than what is currently listed below for the 2026 World Cup
The Returning Elite 8 Players Entering/In Their Prime in 2026:
Christian Pulisic (24 years old) – LW/RW
Tyler Adams (23 years old) – CDM
Weston McKennie (24 years old) – CM/RM
Gio Reyna (20 years old) – CAM/LW
Yunus Musah (20 years old) – CM/RW
Sergino Dest (22 years old) – RB
Tim Weah (22 years old) – ST/RW
Brenden Aaronson (22 years old) – CAM/LW
The Other Returning Rotation Players:
Antonee Robinson (25 years old) – LB
Matt Turner (28 years old) – GK
Joe Scally (19 years old) – RB/LB
Walker Zimmerman (29 years old) – CB
Josh Sargent (22 years old) – ST
Cameron Carter-Vickers (24 years old) – CB
Players That Made the Team in 2022, but are not Likely to Make the Team in 2026:
Ethan Horvath (27 years old) – GK
Sean Johnson (33 years old) – GK
Tim Ream (35 years old) – CB
Aaron Long (30 years old) – CB
Shaq Moore (26 years old) – RB
DeAndre Yedlin (29 years old) – RB
Kellyn Acosta (27 years old) – CDM/CM
Cristian Roldan (27 years old) – CM/RM
Luca de la Torre (24 years old) – CM/CAM
Jesus Ferreira (21 years old) – ST
Jordan Morris (28 years old) – RW/ST
Haji Wright (24 years old) – ST
12 Open Spots: Which Players Will Round out the 26-man Team in 2026?
Zack Steffen (27 years old) – GK
From a talent standpoint alone, Zack Steffen should have been on the 2022 World Cup Roster, however after struggling mightily in 2021 and 2022, he lost the starting job to Matt Turner and more fit/better locker-room keepers were taken over him in Ethan Horvath and Sean Johnson. Will Steffen step up and be the lead keeper in 2026? Who knows, but he should definitely be making the 2026 World Cup roster over someone like an Ethan Horvath.
Ricardo Pepi (19 years old) – ST
Not bringing Ricardo Pepi to the 2022 World Cup was perhaps the biggest snub and dumbest move by Gregg Berhalter. After racking up 3 goals and 5 assists in qualifying matches, it was an absolute shock that he was not on the 26-man roster, but Ricardo Pepi will not be left off the team this time around. It would be great to see Pepi at the U20 World Cup next year, but even if he is not there, Pepi and Sargent are the two semi-locks for the #9 spots four years from now.
Chris Richards (22 years old) – CB/RB
In August and early September before the 2022 World Cup, Chris Richards was definitely in the mix for not only the 26-man roster, but also the starting CB spot alongside Walker Zimmerman. Unfortunately, he suffered a hamstring injury and was not able to recover in time to make it to Qatar. Richards is signed with Crystal Palace through 2027, so he should see his role increase with them as time goes on as well as build upon his 8 Caps for the USAMNT.
Gianluca Busio (20 years old) – CM/CDM
The one and only player from these new additions to the 2026 World Cup roster that has a small chance of taking a starting midfield spot from one of the Elite 8 players is Gianluca Busio. The 20-year-old Italian-American has prolific awareness, sensational vision, and makes a habit of creating scoring chances out of nothing. He is one of the most creative players in the final third of the field on this entire USAMNT and is playing more and more for Venezia.
Paxten Aaronson (19 years old) – LM/CAM
Yes, this is Brenden Aaronson’s brother but no, he is not just making this team because of family ties. Paxten Aaronson has been tearing it up for the U20 USAMNT and recently had 7 goals and one assist in 7 games during the CONCACAF U20 Championship. He was just signed by Eintracht Frankfurt to go play in the Bundesliga and could easily be the spark-plug off the bench in 2026, just like his brother was in the 2022 World Cup.
Folarin Balogun (21 years old) – ST
If you have not seen highlights of Folarin Balogun, you are missing out. Balogun is a goal-scoring machine who has 8 goals in 15 matches with Stade Reims in the top French league. He also scored 6 goals in 10 qualifying matches for the UEFA European U21 Championship. Where it gets tricky is that Balogun can still pledge his allegiance to England, USA, or Nigeria. If he does choose the United States like Yunus Musah did, he would be an incredible striker for the team.
Jordan Pefok (26 years old) – ST
For the 2022 World Cup, Gregg Berhalter brought just three true strikers. The other flaw was that every #9 on the roster was 24 or younger. Jordan Pefok is a player who dominated the Swiss league (22 goals in 32 matches in 2021/2022) and has been solid in the Bundesliga. He will be 30-years-old when the next World Cup rolls around and not only could he be effective on the field, but he could be a great mentor for the younger strikers like Pepi and Balogun.
Gabriel Slonina (18 years old) – GK
Slonina made his MLS debut in August of 2021 at 17 years and 81-days-old for the Chicago Fire in the MLS. This made him the youngest keeper in the league’s history. After performing very well for the Fire, Chelsea signed him to a 6-year contract. The 6’4” teenager is not likely to see the starting role at Chelsea for a couple of years, but by 2025 he could very well have the role after Edouard Mendy’s contract is done. Slonina could be the next Tim Howard for the USA.
Caleb Wiley (17 years old) – LB
Antonee Robinson has been a very capable starting LB for the USAMNT and for Fulham in the Premier League. With that being, said he is not without faults. He is at best an average crosser of the ball and his first touch and ball skills are not the best. Caleb Wiley has been awesome for the U20 national team and has the potential to pressure ARob for the starting role. As a 17-year-old, he is already starting games for Atlanta United FC and has incredible upside.
John Tolkin (20 years old) – LB/LM
This year, Aaron Long made the 26-man roster in Qatar however he was arguably not even the best defender on the New York Red Bulls. John Tolkin is a promising 20-year-old left back who can also play in the midfield and he started 31 games for New York this season, outplaying Long for most of them. His ceiling may be limited if he stays in the MLS until his 2027 contract ends, but he would be a solid backup. 21-year-old Bryan Reynolds could be another option here.
Joshua Wynder (17 years old) – CB
Perhaps the safer pick in this spot would be Miles Robinson, who only missed out on the 2022 World Cup because of a brutal torn Achilles injury, but outside of his athleticism (which may be impacted by the injury) and his physicality, he does not offer much. Joshua Wynder, who was already starting for Louisville FC at age 16 presents more upside and better technique than Miles Robinson. Hopefully Wynder gets an invite to the U20 World Cup and continues to grow.
Axel Perez (15 years old) – CAM/CM
You are reading this right. 15 years old. Every World Cup there is always at least one 18-19-year-old on the USA World Cup roster. This year it was Joe Scally and Yunus Musah who were both 19. In 2014 it was Julian Green who was 18. In 2026, Axel Perez could be that guy. For the Spring 2022 update of the Top 50 U20 Prospects list, Perez is listed as #4 at just 15 years-old. He has already had 3 caps with the U17 National Team and is on Lyon’s youth team in France.