USMNT Hosts Belgium In Atlanta In First Of Final Two Matches Before Selection of 2026 FIFA World Cup Roster
USA-Belgium, presented by AT&T, will take place March 28 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET
ATLANTA (March 27, 2026) – The U.S. Men’s National Team will take on ninth-ranked Belgium in the first of the final two matches before the naming of the 2026 FIFA World Cup roster.
USA-Belgium, presented by AT&T, will take place March 28 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET [TICKETS]
The match will be carried live on radio as Westwood One Sports delivers English language commentary while longtime partner Fútbol de Primera has the Spanish language call.
The encounter will provide the USMNT with a premier opportunity to face an opponent in the top-10 of the Coca-Cola FIFA Men’s World Rankings and will serve as one of two matches played in Atlanta at Mercedes-Benz Stadium during this window.
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GOALKEEPERS (4): Chris Brady (Chicago Fire; 0/0), Matt Freese (New York City FC; 13/0), Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew; 3/0), Matt Turner (New England Revolution; 52/0)
DEFENDERS (9): Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew; 16/1), Alex Freeman (Villarreal/ESP; 13/2), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse/FRA; 25/0), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC; 79/1), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace/ENG; 35/3), Antonee Robinson (Fulham/ENG; 50/4), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati; 38/3), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach/GER; 22/0), Auston Trusty (Celtic/SCO; 5/0)
MIDFIELDERS (8): Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps/CAN; 9/1), Johnny Cardoso (Atletico Madrid/ESP; 22/0), Weston McKennie (Juventus/ITA; 62/11), Aidan Morris (Middlesbrough/ENG; 13/0), Gio Reyna (Borussia Mönchengladbach/GER; 34/9), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders; 43/0), Tanner Tessmann (Olympique Lyon/FRA; 12/1); Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen/GER; 26/3)
FORWARDS (6): Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United/ENG; 56/9); Patrick Agyemang (Derby County/ENG; 12/5), Folarin Balogun (Monaco/FRA; 23/8), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 34/13), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan/ITA; 82/32), Tim Weah (Olympique Marseille/FRA; 47/7)
THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN
The USMNT returns to action for the first time since November 2025.Under the management of Mauricio Pochettino and his staff, the U.S. compiled an 8W-2L-2D record in its final 12 matches of the year, going 4W-0L-1D in the fall capped by a 5-1 rout over two-time World Cup winner and then 14th-ranked Uruguay. A total of 56 players earned at least one cap with the USMNT in 2025, including 25 in this squad with senior team debuts from Patrick Agyemang, Max Arfsten, Sebastian Berhalter, Alex Freeman and Matt Freese.
As a host country, the U.S. didn’t participate in World Cup Qualifiers, instead focusing on playing significant opponents in preparation, ending the year on a five-match unbeaten run against teams ranked FIFA’s top 40, including four victories. During 2025, Pochettino rotated players through key match windows to continue building a roster capable of playing multiple styles, adjusting to diverse opponents and sustaining peak performance over the duration of a World Cup on home soil. The approach reflects a long-term plan to maximize depth, sharpen internal competition and raise the overall ceiling of the program ahead of the FIFA World Cup this summer.
GOALS GALORE
U.S. strikers are leading the way for their respective clubs in Europe this season, with all three in this roster scoring over 10 goals during the campaign. Patrick Agyemang has led EFL Championship side Derby County with 10 goals in all competitions this season. In stellar form as of late, Folarin Balogun has contributed 13 goals in all competitions on his way to being named Monaco’s February Player of the Month. Ricardo Pepi has also been in fine form, with the striker bagging 13 goals in all competitions for PSV Eindhoven.
EUROPEAN PEDIGREE
The current USMNT roster includes 18 players from European clubs. Of those, nine players competed in a European competition this season. Still active, Johnny Cardoso and Malik Tillman are both in the UEFA Champions League, competing against Tottenham and Arsenal respectively. Folarin Balogun scored five goals for Monaco in this edition of the UCL, while Weston McKennie tallied four times for Juventus. Tanner Tessman is in the knockout stage of the UEFA Europa League with Olympique Lyon against Celta Vigo. Chris Richards is competing in the UEFA Conference League knockout stage with Crystal Palace against AEK Larnaca.
RETURN OF THE JEDI
Defender Antonee Robinson returns to the USMNT setup after missing the entirety of international duty in 2025 through injury. The 2024 U.S Soccer Male Player of the Year recipient has played in 17 games for Fulham this season. “Jedi” has 50 caps with four goals and six assists for the USA since his debut in 2018, reaching the half-century mark in his most recent appearance in a 4-2 victory over Jamaica in the Concacaf Nations League Quarterfinal on Nov. 18, 2024. Robinson recently became just the seventh American to make 150 Premier League appearances.
A MATCH TO REMEMBER
The last meeting between the USMNT and Portugal was a 1-1 draw in Leiria, Portugal. In the match against the reigning European champions and third-ranked Portuguese side, Weston McKennie made his senior team debut and scored the opening goal in the 20th minute of play. A member of the 2022 FIFA World Cup roster, McKennie has earned 62 caps since his debut in 2017.
ANCHORED IN ATLANTA
Georgia will serve as the new home for the Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center, set to open this spring. The USMNT has only played four times in Atlanta, with the first match a 1-0 win against Canada in World Cup Qualifying on Oct. 27, 1968. Remarkably, three of the four matches were in three different official competitions: FIFA World Cup Qualifying, the Concacaf Gold Cup and Copa America. The USMNT has only played once at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the home of Atlanta United, a 2-1 loss to Panama on June 27, 2024, in the 2024 Copa America.
THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
This year’s edition of the FIFA World Cup will take place in the United States for the first time since 1994. In the 1994 edition, the USA advanced from the group stage to the Round of 16 before being defeated 1-0 by eventual champions Brazil. The tournament games in the U.S. will be spread across 11 cities: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco Bay Area, and Seattle.
The USMNT will open the group stage in Los Angeles against Paraguay on June 12, before traveling to Seattle for the first time since 2016 to take on Australia on June 19. The team will close out the group stage in Los Angeles on June 25 against the winner of UEFA Playoff C between Türkiye, Romania, Slovakia and Kosovo, which will be determined during the March FIFA window.
ROSTER NOTES
DETAILED ROSTER BY POSITION (Club/Country; Caps/Goals)
GOALKEEPERS (3): Senne Lammens (Manchester United/ENG; 1/0), Matz Sels (Nottingham Forest/ENG; 12/0), Maarten Vandevoordt (RB Leipzig/GER; 0/0)
DEFENDERS (9): Timothy Castagne (Fulham/ENG; 60/2), Zeno Debast (Sporting CP/POR; 24/0), Maxim De Cuyper (Brighton and Hove Albion/ENG; 15/4), Koni De Winter (AC Milan/ITA; 5/0), Brandon Mechele (Club Brugge KV/BEL; 6/1), Thomas Meunier (Lille/FRA; 76/11), Nathan Ngoy (Lille/FRA; 0/0), Joaquin Seys (Club Brugge KV/BEL; 2/0), Arthur Theate (Eintracht Frankfurt/GER; 31/1)
MIDFIELDERS (6): Kevin De Bruyne (Napoli/ITA; 115/36), Nathan De Cat (RSC Anderlecht/BEL; 0/0), Amadou Onana (Aston Villa/ENG; 25/0), Nicolas Raskin (Rangers/SCO; 9/1), Youri Tielemans (Aston Villa/ENG; 81/12), Axel Witsel (Girona FC; 134/12)
FORWARDS (7): Charles De Ketelaere (Atalanta/ITA; 26/3), Jeremy Doku (Manchester City/ENG; 39/7), Mika Godts (Ajax/NED; 0/0), Dodi Lukebakio (SL Benfica/POR; 27/2), Loïs Openda (Juventus/ITA; 31/3), Alexis Saelemaekers (AC Milan/ITA; 21/2) Lucas Stassin (Saint-Étienne/FRA; 0/0)
NINE ON THE BOUNCE
Belgium enters Saturday’s match on a nine-game unbeaten run, including three wins in its last five. The Red Devils qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup out of Group J, finishing ahead of Kazakhstan, Liechtenstein, North Macedonia, and Wales. The run was capped off by their final match of 2025, a 7–0 dismantling of Liechtenstein that featured braces from forwards Charles De Ketelaere and Jeremy Doku.
Belgium is preparing to compete in its fourth consecutive World Cup and its 15th appearance overall, with the nation’s best finish coming in 2018 when it claimed third place in Russia.
BELGIAN BOSS
The Red Devils are led by Frenchman Rudi Garcia, who took charge in January 2025. He guided the team to a 3–0 UEFA Nations League victory over Ukraine in his second match, helping Belgium retain its League A status. Prior to taking over the Belgian national team, the highly regarded manager coached several prestigious European clubs, including Napoli, Olympique Lyon, Olympique Marseille, Roma, and Lille.
CLUB VERSUS COUNTRY
The two squad lists for Saturday afternoon’s matchup feature multiple club teammates from both countries in Antonee Robinson and Timothy Castagne at Fulham in the Premier League and Christian Pulisic with Koni De Winter and Alexis Saelemaekers at AC Milan in Serie A.
CITY CONNECTION
With a wide array of attacking options to choose from, none have been more prominent in recent times than forward Jeremy Doku and midfielder Kevin De Bruyne. The pair, who played together at English club Manchester City during the 2024–25 season, were key figures in Belgium’s qualifying campaign, each contributing seven goal involvements. De Bruyne has been a mainstay of the Belgian national team since his debut in August 2010, amassing 115 appearances and 36 goals, while Doku has already made 39 appearances and scored seven goals since his debut in September 2020.