Countdown to 2026 World Cup has begun, and pressure is on US team to improve

MIAMI — Soccer is making big headlines in the United States this week with the kickoff of the Club World Cup at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday and celebrations in 11 cities across the country on Wednesday commemorating one year to go to the 2026 World Cup.

All 16 World Cup host cities (11 in the United States, three in Mexico and two in Canada) unveiled countdown clocks as part of the festivities. The Miami clock was revealed at the Perez Art Museum (PAMM) in downtown in a ceremony that included city and county officials, the Miami World Cup host committee, and singer Marc Anthony.

The clocks will count down to the stroke of midnight on June 11, 2026, when the tournament opens in Mexico City.

The first 13 of 48 teams have already qualified, including co-hosts Canada, Mexico and the USA, who get automatic entry. The way things are going for Team USA of late, coach Mauricio Pochettino and the U.S. Soccer Federation are surely grateful for the automatic bid.

The U.S. team lost, 4-0, to Switzerland in a friendly in Nashville, Tenn., on Tuesday night, with all four goals conceded in the first half. It was the fourth loss in a row for Team USA.

Among the headlines following the game:

USMNT humiliated by Switzerland 4-0.

USMNT thrashed 4-0 by Switzerland in final Gold Cup tune up.

First half debacle dooms hapless USMNT in 4-0 friendly loss to Switzerland.

Former U.S. national team stars Alexi Lalas and Landon Donovan, now Fox Sports commentators and podcasters, have not minced words in their analysis of Team USA, questioning the heart, work ethic and commitment of some players.

Pochettino, an Argentine who was hired last fall from Tottenham Hotspurs to lead the American squad, has tried to instill more passion and pride in the national badge.

“We’re going through a period right now where this team is being looked at in a critical sense, and I think fairly so,” Lalas said on a conference call marking the year to go to the World Cup. “I think more concerning is a possible apathy that has crept in towards this team. And I never thought if you would ask me, back in 1994, what the summer of 2025 a year away from the World Cup in 2026 would look like that this would be what I would come up with.”

Both Donovan and Lalas stressed that there is pressure on the U.S. team to rise to the occasion.

“I also don’t want to let this generation off the hook,” Lalas said. “This is a generation that, over those last 30 plus years, everybody has worked to make sure that they have everything that they possibly need in terms of the opportunities and the resources that they have.

“And with that comes higher expectations, and I do think fair expectations, and so whoever ultimately is on that field come next summer, when that whistle blows, I hope that they recognize the opportunity, and I hope that they recognize the responsibility to further the game.”

Donovan said the team’s highest profile Europe-based players who have been considered locks to make the World Cup squad might be replaced by hungrier, lesser-known players if they are not careful.

“When you put the U.S. jersey on, or you get invited to a camp, it is a massive responsibility,” Donovan said, adding that he was moved by seeing 30,000 U.S. military members singing the Star Spangled Banner at a 2006 game in Germany. “That’s the level of dedication I think fans want to see.”

The last time the United States hosted a men’s World Cup was 1994. Lalas said the world will see next year how much soccer progress has been made in this country.

“I think the world is going to be pleasantly surprised by how far we have come in it’s still a relatively short period of time, but we still have a ways to go,” Lalas said. “A World Cup is, for lack of a better word, this circus that comes to town with a huge tent. That tent has gotten bigger, and we want to make sure that we are as welcoming and accommodating as possible, because we recognize that a lot of people are going to come in and maybe again, as far as we’ve come, they’re going to be some people that taste test, and we hope that they get a little taste of it, and they want more, because the circus will leave town. The legacy that it leaves, that’s what’s important.”

Other teams who have punched their tickets to the World Cup are defending champion Argentina, first-time qualifiers Jordan and Uzbekistan, as well as Australia, Brazil, Ecuador, Iran, Japan, Korea Republic and New Zealand.

The remaining 35 teams will be confirmed by March 2026, when all the regional qualifying tournaments have concluded.

World Cup tickets will go on sale to the public in the coming months. Select ticket-inclusive hospitality packages are already available. Additional hospitality packages, including for matches in Canada and Mexico, are set to go on sale in July. Fans can learn more at FIFA.com/tickets

Messi returns to Inter Miami

Lionel Messi raced back to the Inter Miami training facility Wednesday morning to prepare for the Club World Cup following Argentina’s 1-1 tie with Colombia Tuesday night in World Cup qualifying. Inter Miami plays Egyptian power Al Ahly in the opening game Saturday night at Hard Rock Stadium.

“I don’t think any other player’s doing something like that,” said Inter Miami defender Ian Fray. “They just played [Tuesday night] at 8 o’clock and he was already back and came straight from the airport in his full Argentina kit. You just look at that and say, 'This guy’s ready.’ It just shows you he’s taking really seriously, which you’d expect. It elevates all of our levels by being there.”