A Look Ahead to 2026: U.S. Youth National Teams Key Dates & Major Moments
U-17 Men’s and Women’s Teams to compete in Concacaf Qualifiers; U-20 Women’s Team to participate in FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Poland 2026
The busy 2026 campaign has already begun for many of the U.S. Youth National Teams. Both the U.S. Under-17 Men’s and Women’s National Teams will look to qualify for their respective World Cups, while the U-20 Women’s National Team prepares for its World Cup run in Poland. The 14 U.S. Youth National Teams will come together in the USA and across the globe more than 80 times this year for various camps and tournaments.
Here’s a look at some important dates in 2026 for the U.S. Youth National Teams:
The U-17 Men’s National Team has begun its quest toward its record 20th FIFA U-17 World Cup. The squad traveled to St. Vincent and the Grenadines where it will compete in the 2026 U-17 Concacaf Qualifiersfrom Feb. 5-10 in Group E against the host nation, St. Kitts and Nevis, and the Dominican Republic. The winner of the group will advance to the 2026 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar.
The U-17 Women’s National Team returns to action after competing in two friendlies in January. The team is headed back to Spain this month to participate in the sixth edition of the MIMA Cup, an eight-team competition featuring strong U-17 WNTs across the brackets. The U.S. will play its first-round match against the Wales on Feb. 9 (2:30 p.m. ET) in Path A.
Concacaf Women’s U-17 Qualifiers Final Round
The U-17 Women’s National Team will conclude its spring schedule in the Final Round of the Concacaf Women’s U-17 Qualifiers. The USA, alongside Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico, received a first-round bye and will be among the 12 teams divided into three groups of four teams each that will compete from March 16-22 for the four berths to the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco. The winners of the three groups plus the best second place team across the groups will qualify for the World Cup.
The U-19 Men’s National Team was among the six top-ranked nations that pre-qualified directly into the 2026 Concacaf U-20 Championship. The 12-team tournament, which will run from July 25 to Aug. 9, serves as the qualifying competition for both the 2027 FIFA Men's U-20 World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics. The U.S. finished second in the previous edition in 2024.
The U-15 Girls’ National Team looks to lift another trophy this summer as it returns to the 2026 Concacaf Girls’ U-15 Championship. The U.S. has won the biennial tournament four times, most recently defeating Mexico 3-0 in the final in 2024.
The U-20 Women’s National Team punched its ticket to the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup 2026 in Poland after finishing second in the Concacaf W U-20 Championship last summer. The draw will take place following the remaining qualifiers from February-May. The U.S. has won the competition three times but is looking for its first title since 2012 after finishing third in 2024.
The U-23 Men’s National Team will convene in the November FIFA window to close 2026 as the squad prepares for the 2028 LA Olympics. The team advanced to the Quarterfinals at the 2024 Paris Olympics, its best finish since 2000.
The FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup 2026 in Morocco would be the next stop for the U.S. U-17 Women’s National Team following positive results at the Concacaf Qualifiers in March. The 24-team tournament is the second of five annual FIFA U-17 Women's World Cups hosted by Morocco. The U.S. will be looking to improve on its finish last year when it was knocked out in a penalty shootout in the Round of 16.
Should the U-17 MNT successfully navigate the Concacaf U-17 Qualifiers in February, the side will head to Qatar for the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2026. The tournament will feature 48 nations competing in 12 groups. In 2025, the U.S. advanced to the Round of 32 before falling to Morocco on penalties.