(STL.News) It is arguably the biggest sports event in the world. The Super Bowl might get a lot of attention each year, but the FIFA World Cup, held every four years, brings together the best soccer athletes to represent their countries and battle for the title of world champions.
St. Louis has a long history of embracing soccer, with the new MLS team now competing in the most prestigious league in North America. Unfortunately, St. Louis wasn’t chosen as a host city for this summer’s tournament, although it will act as a team base camp and provide that national team with state-of-the-art facilities, as well as a real St. Louis welcome.
Fans across the globe will be gearing up for the 2026 World Cup, which kicks off on June 11th, and will consult the best bookmaker reviews to see where to back their own team. But can Americans be confident in the USMNT? Here’s a look at how the national team has gotten on at World Cup finals in the past – and whether there is a chance of glory on home soil this summer.
Regional Power
There was a time when the USMNT was unable to compete with its next-door neighbor in soccer. Mexico was the one real powerhouse in the CONCACAF region, and the US failed time and time again to stamp its authority on the soccer map. That all changed at the beginning of the 1990s.
One of the conditions for being awarded hosting rights of the 1994 World Cup tournament was that the US needed a domestic league. The old NASL had disappeared a few years previously, but plans for Major League Soccer, which started soon after the 1994 finals, improved the game in the US. The USMNT won its first Gold Cup in 1991 and is now consistently one of the favorites to lift the trophy every two years.
Early Days of World Cup
Although the USMNT wants to be the dominant team in North America, the global stage really counts. The national team might enjoy a higher profile these days, but it actually competed in three of the first four World Cup finals between 1930 and 1950. In fact, its best-ever finish was at the inaugural tournament, when the team reached the semifinals and was later awarded third place.
The USMNT would play just one game against the hosts at the 1934 finals in Italy, before withdrawing from the next tournament four years later. The US was back for the next finals in 1950, where it famously beat England 1-0 on a goal by Haitian-born Joseph Gaetjens. That wasn’t enough for the team to progress, however, and it would be 40 years until the USMNT competed at a World Cup again.
Soccer Boom
Soccer was growing in popularity in the States by the end of the 1980s, and the USMNT qualified for the 1990 World Cup, knowing it would host the tournament four years later. Three losses in Italy were not a great advertisement for the American game, but the team came back strongly as hosts in 1994, only to be knocked out by eventual champions Brazil in the round of 16.
The 1998 tournament in France was a return to winless ways, but the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan produced the USMNT’s best performance in recent times. It progressed from the group stage and then famously beat local rival Mexico in the round of 16. Germany then won by a solitary goal in the quarterfinals, but the USMNT was finally really making waves in the world of soccer.
The next two tournaments in South Africa and Brazil saw the USMNT advance out of the group phase once again, before falling at the same round-of-16 stage. Both the games against Ghana in 2010 and Belgium in 2014 went to extra time before the Americans were knocked out.
Despair and Return
With a run of seven consecutive finals, the USMNT had seemingly arrived in world soccer, but qualification for the 2018 tournament in Russia was a disaster. After making it to the final round, the USMNT kicked off with a home loss to Mexico and never really got going. It would win just three of ten games, with the final defeat to Trinidad and Tobago ensuring that it wouldn’t even get the chance of an inter-confederation playoff.
After missing out on the 2018 finals, failure was not an option four years later, and the USMNT qualified once again for the Qatar World Cup. After drawing with both Wales and England, a win against Iran was enough to progress to the round of 16, where it bowed out after losing to the Netherlands.
World Cup 2026
As co-host, there were no qualification concerns for 2026, and the USMNT has spent the last four years playing high-profile friendly games alongside regional tournament competitions. Performances have not always been well-received, and the current head coach, Mauricio Pochettino, is still figuring out his best team.
The USMNT will play in a group with Paraguay, Australia, and a yet-to-be-decided European team from the playoffs. It is in no way an easy group for the US team, but with strong home support, there is a feeling that it could get to at least the round of 32. This year’s finals are bigger than ever before, so even making it to the round of 16 would probably be seen as an achievement, depending on the draw.
But the USMNT will be aiming to go all the way, of course. There will be millions of fans right here in St. Louis cheering them on, all dreaming of seeing the players lift the World Cup trophy for the first time ever. As excitement builds, many supporters will also be checking bookmaker reviews on MyTopSportsbooks.com before making their picks for the tournament.
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